TOOKOOLITO,  O.  V.  UALL,  AND  EUIEBl'IKa. 


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LIFE  AMONG  THE  ESQITIMAUX: 

^  BEINO  THK 

NARRATIVE  OF  AN  EXPEDITION  IN  SEARCH  OF  SIR  JOHN      • 

FRANKLIN, 

IN  THE  YEARS  1860,  1861,  AND  1862. 

BT 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  HALL. 


fVCtl)  iWaps  anTi  ®ne  Si^unDteti  SUustvaKons. 


NEW    YORK: 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 

FHANKLtN     BQUAKE. 

18  66. 


1 


"-/  rUS^^^ 


Entered,  accordinp  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  tlio  3-oar  ono  tlionsand  eight  hundred 

nnJ  sist^'-four,  by 

Haui'kk    &   Bkothkhs, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  tlic  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


PREFACE 


Before  this  book  passes  from  the  writer's  hands  into  those  of 
the  reader,  the  author  will  be  once  more  among  the  ice  of  the  arc- 
tic regions.  Though  the  last  page  of  manuscript  was  written  on 
the  morning  of  my  embarkation,  the  book  itself  has  been  no 
hasty  work.  I  returned  nearly  two  years  ago  from  the  expedi- 
tion which  I  have  endeavored  to  describe.  Almost  every  hour 
since  then,  which  could  be  spared  from  the  arrangements  for  my 
second  expedition,  has  been  devoted  to  the  preparation  of  this 
volume  from  my  voluminous  journal  and  notes  taken  on  the 
spot.  Up 

Before  dismissing  the  book,  however,  from  my  hands,  I  wish  to 
say  a  few  words  by  way  of  explanation  of  certain  matters  con- 
nected with  my  explorations.  The  reader  will  perhaps  wonder 
why  so  much  importance  was  given  to  the  discovery  of  the  Fro- 
bishcr  relics.  I  answer,  partly  because  of  the  interest  which  at- 
tached itself  to  the  remains  of  men  so  long  ago  left  in  that  waste 
land ;  but  partly,  too,  because  the  discovery  of  these  remains,  and 
the  tracing  of  their  history  among  the  Esquimaux,  confirmed,  in 
a  remarkable  manner,  my  belief  that  these  people  retain  among 
them,  with  great  positiveness,the  memory  of  important  and  strange 
incidents ;  and  as  their  traditions  of  Frobisher,  when  I  was  able  to 
get  at  them,  were  so  clear,  I  am  persuaded  that  among  them  may 
be  sought,  by  one  competent,  with  every  chance  of  complete  suc- 
cess, the  sad  history  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  men. 

To  make  myself  competent  for  this  more  interesting  and  im- 
portant research,  I  patiently  acquired  the  language  and  familiar- 
ized myself  with  the  habits  of  the  Esquimaux.    I  return  now  to 


iv  PREFACE. 

their  country  able  to  speak  with  them,  to  live  among  them,  to 
support  my  life  in  the  same  manner  that  they  do  theirs ;  to  mi- 
grate with  them  from  place  to  plrfce,  and  to  traverse  and  patiently 
explore  all  the  region  in  which  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  Frank- 
lin's crew  traveled  and  perished.  I  shall  be  accompanied  by  the 
two  intelligent  Esquimaux,  Ebicrbing  and  Tookoolito,  who,  \:\y- 
ing  accompanied  me  on  my  return  from  my  first  expedition,  and 
after  remaining  with  mo  for  two  years,  now  go  back  with  me  on 
this  second  voyage. 

I  enter  upon  this  undertaking  with  lively  hopes  of  success.  I 
shall  not,  like  previous  explorers,  set  my  foot  on  shore  for  a  few 
days  or  weeks,  or,  like  others,  journey  among  men  whose  language 
is  to  me  unintelligible.  I  shall  live  for  two  or  three  years  among 
the  Esquimaux,  and  gain  their  confidence ;  and  I  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  understanding  the  language,  and  of  making  all  my 
wishes  known  to  them. 

I  will  not  close  without  offering  my  thanks  to  my  Publishers 
for  their  patience  and  courtesy ;  to  the  Artists  for  the  beautiful 
and  accurate  drawings  made  by  them,  under  my  own  eye,  from 
my  rough  sketches ;  and  to  the  Engravers  and  Printers  for  their 
constant  forbearance  in  the  trouble  I  gave  them,  unaccustomed 
as  I  "was  to  literary  labors,  yet  anxious  to  obtain  the  utmost  ex- 
actness in  my  narrative.  ' 

c,  F.  n. 

June  30, 18C4,  on  board  bark  Monticello,\ 
bound  for  the  Arctic  Regions.  ) 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Departure. — "Rescue"  Schooner. — Names  of  Crew. — Outfit.— Soa-sickncss. — First 
Sight  of  Wliales. — Williiiin  Hterry. — Banks  of  Newfoundland. — Storm  at  Sea. — 
"Sulphur  Bottoms." — Tlio  first  Iccber^.-^Visit  to  one. — Tiio  Danish  Brig  Mari- 
ano.— I'ast  Experiences  of  Scurvy. — Dcatli  and  Burial  of  Kudlago. — Fourth  of 
July  at  Sea. — Halibut  and  Codfish. — First  Meeting  with  Esquimaux. — Native  Pi- 
lots.— Ephraim's  Pants. — Midnigiit  Sun, — Arrival  at  Holsteinbort; Pago  81 

,  CHAPTEll  II. 

Land  and  Visit  the  Governor. — Brief  History  of  Greenland. — The  Ilolstcinborg  Dis- 
trict.— Esquimaux  and  European  Population. — Protection  and  Care  cf  the  Na- 
tives by  the  Danisih  Crown. — Plagues  of  Greenland. — Musquitoes. — Trade  and 
Barter. — A  Yankee  outwitted  by  an  Esquimaux. — Dinner  at  the  Governor's. — 
M'Clintock's  Work. — The  Priest's  Wife. — Visit  the  Government  Buildings. — Ar- 
rival of  the  liescue. — Lars's  Care  for  his  Family. — Dance  on  Shore. — A  Mountain 
Excursion. — Kecks  crumbling  to  pieces. — Action  of  Freezing  Water  in  Crevices. 
— Sundays'  and  Esquimaux  Amusements. —  Greenland  Festival. —  Schools  and 
Printing.— Dr.  Rink 41) 

CIIAITER  III.  « 
Visit  of  Governor  Elberg  to  the  Ship. — His  Pleasure  at  American  Progress. — Adam 
Beck. — Another  Mountain  Ascent. — The"  Woman's  Hood." — A  grand  Sccue. — 
Ball  on  board  Ship. — Sun's  Eclipse. — Danger  to  Ship  and  Boat  in  a  Gale. — Cu- 
rious Esquimaux  Feats. — Mishap  to  the  George  Henry's  Windlass. — A  stirring 
Picture. — Kind  Assistance  of  the  Governor. — Preparations  for  Dejiarture. — Let- 
ters Home. — Leave-taking.— Final  Adieus. — Farewell  to  Ilolstcinborg 71 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Crossing  Davis's  Straits.— Sea-sickness  again. — "Perpetual  Motion."— Changing 
Ai)pearanco  and  Movements  of  Icebergs.— Beautiful  Sunsets  and  Morning  Skies. 
— Refraction. — Nature  on  a  Spree. — Distorted  Moon. — Mountains  "hanf;ing  on 
a  Thread." — God's  living  Arches. — "Merrie  Dancers"  in  the  Sky. — Approach  to 
Land. — Fogs. — Another  Gale. — Dcsperaio  Party  of  runaway  Seamen. — Horrible 
Tale  of  Starvation  and  Cannibolism.— Anchor  in  Kowtukjua  Harbor 83 

CHAPTER  V. 

Visited  by  the  Natives. — Brief  Account  of  some  of  them. — A  very  aged  Woman. — 
Oo-ki-jox-y  Ni-noo.— A  numerous  Family. — Ugarng  and  his  thirteen  Wives. — 
Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito. — Kudlago's  Widow,  Kok-er-jab-in. — "  Blind  George." 
— Excursion  on  Shore. — Anecdote  of  the  Greenland  Dogs. — Beautiful  Scenery. — 
How  Nature  splits  huge  Rocks. — An  Alabaster  Cave. — Arctic  Food. — First  Taste 


Xi  CONTENTS. 

of  ncnr-mcnt. — AmoricnnizinK  Kim-nii-loo. — A  Ulind  Mun  threading  a  Nocdlo 
and  mending  Clothes. — A«toniRhmont  created  by  a  Magnet. — Ugarng  and  the 
Qtiicksilvur. — Author'ii  narrow  Escape  from  Death. — GcoloKieol  Character  of  the 
KuokM. — Departure  for  and  Arrival  at  Fiuld  Uiiy. — A  Cruise  in  the  limcue. — Ar- 
rival in  new  Waters I'agc  'J'J 

CHAPTER  VI. 
First  Visit  to  Frobishor  Bay.—"  Mcta  Inco/,'nlta." — Fossils. — Koo-jesse  and  his 
Family. — Old  Artarkpnrii. — Tiio  beautiful  Kok-er-zhun. — Skinning  Ducks. — Es- 
quimaux Food. — Native  Mode  of  Sleeping. — Itniuit  Ilead-ornamcnts. — Kctum 
to  the  Ship. — Excursion  on  Shore. — White  Man's  Grave. — Esquimaux  Grove. — 
Chart  made  by  Koojesse. — Innuit  Skill  in  Geography. — Aurora  Borculis. — Vis- 
ited by  Numbers  of  the  Natives. — Skill  of  the  Women  at  Work. — Trial  of  the  Ex- 
pedition Boat.— Journey  on  Land. — Annawa — Amient  Dwellings  of  the  Innuits. 
—A  Mountain  Pass.— Old  Mother  Pc-ta-tc— Puto  and  the  White  Child. — Whale 
captured. — An  exciting  Scene. — Great  Feast  for  the  Natives.  —  Author's  first 
Trial  at  raw  Whale-meat. — Custom  and  Education  alone  prevents  the  Enjoy- 
ment of  raw  Food. — Discovery  of  a  Frobishor  Ilelic 117 

CIIAITER  VII. 
Boat  Incident. — Lifo  hanging  on  a  Shoe-string. — Conroge  of  Esquimaux  Boys. — 
Author's  Escape. — Dccomjioscd  Hocks. —  Tes-sv.iciii. — Arrival  of  the  (korgiana. — 
Author's  Sickness  and  Recovery. — Attention  of  the  Natives. — Independent  Char- 
acter of  the  Esquimaux. — Deserving  the  attention  of  Philanthropists. — A  fearful 
Gale. — The  Rescue  and  the  Exp'idition  Boat  wrecked. — The  Geortjiana  on  Shore. 
— The  George  Ilcnn/  in  great  Drngcr. — Gale  abates. — Tlio  Geonjiuna  got  off  the 
Rocks  undamaged. — She  departs  for  Northumberland  Inlet ...  133 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Splendid  Displays  of  the  Aurora. — "The  World  on  Fire." — Arrivol  of  Captain 
Parker  in  the  True-love. — Viiit  to  his  Ship. — Nikujar  the  Pilot. — Anecdotes  of 
Parker's  Arctic  Experiences. — First  Interview  with  the  Innuits  Ebierbing  and 
Tookoolito. — ^Their  previous  Visit  to  England  and  Presentation  to  Royalty. — The 
Accomplishments  of  Tookoolito.  —  Eenoolooapik.  —  A  Walk  on  Shore.  —  Snow- 
storm.— A  natural  Causeway. — Fluctuations  of  the  Compass  Needle. — Tookoo- 
lito at  Work. — She  tries  to  Educate  her  People. — Her  Power  to  do  Good. — Ad- 
vantages of  a  Mission  Colony. — Difforcnco  of  Language  among  the  Esquimaux. — 
Car/ Peter«en,M'Clintock 'a  Interpreter. — Tookoolito  rebuking  Swearers 147 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Visit  to  Esquimaux  Village. — First  Specimen  of  domestic  Lifo  among  the  Innuits. 
— Seal's  Blood  excellent. — Blind  George  in  Trouble. — His  paternal  Affection. — 
"Black  Skin"  for  Food. — Female  Tongues  good  Cleaners. — The  Angeko. — Ex- 
traordinary Conduct  of  the  Natives. — The  Angeko's  Power. — Mysteries  of  Innuit 
Worship. — Koojcsse's  Trepidation. — Angeko's  Cunning. — Choice  of  Wives. — Cu- 
rious Guide  Poles  to  Travelers. — Charley's  independence  of  Angeko.— Ship  beset 
in  the  Ice.  —  Hoar-frost  on  the  Rigging. — Changes  of  Temperature. —r Sudden 
Movements  of  the  Ice. — Frozen  in. — A  Bear  Hunt — Author's  first  Encounter  with 
a  Bear.  —  Death  of  Bruin.  — Visit  the  Tuple  of  Ebierbing.  —  Scarcity  of  Innuit 
Food  and  Fuel. — The  Esquimaux  Lamp. — Patience  and  Perseverance  of  an  In- 
nuit Hunter. — An  Igloo 164 


CONTENTS.  Vii 

CHAPTER  X. 
Remarkablo  Echo. — Visit  of  "  Sampson."— Innuit  Mode  of  WnshitiR  tho  Foco. — 
"Job's  Comfortors." — "Bridge  of  Sighs." — Motliors  nursing  their  Children. — 
Se»'vicoal)lo  Hoods. — Tails  of  Irinuit  Dresses. — Cold  in  Winter  cnduruhlc.— Ex- 
traordinary mild  Weather. — Igloos  in  Uuins. — Kolp  used  for  Food. — Christmas 
and  New  Year's  Day.— Sick  Nukcrtou. — Inattention  to  tho  Inllrm  and  Dying. — 
Cruel  Abandonment — Innuit  Superstitions. — Autiior's  lonely  Watch. — Death  of 
Nukcitou. — Tho  female  Angeko.  —  Kooperarchu's  Death. — Kcilections.  —  Innuit 
Idea  of  a  Future  State Page  177 

CHAPTER  XI. 
A  January  Sledge  Excursion  to  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay — Rough  Traveling  overland. 
— Iligii  Clift's. — Descent  of  tho  Sledgo  on  to  tho  fro;;en  Sea. — Camp  on  tho  Ice. — 
First  Night  in  an  Igloo. — Proceed  on  the  Jonrnoy. — Dangerous  Traveling. — 
Second  Night  on  tho  Ico. — Detention. — Cold. — An  icy  Beard. — Hair-cutting. — 
A  Storm. — Disruption  of  tho  Ico. — Fearful  Peril. — Cessation  of  the  Gale. — Con- 
tinue tho  Journey. — Ice  on  tho  Move  in  every  Direction. — Deep  Snow. — Treach- 
erous Footing.— Lai. orious  Work — Arrive  at  Rogers's  Island. — Great  Thirst. — In- 
nuit Welcome. — A  Cup  of  Water. — Hospitality. — Light,  Warmth,  and  Food. — 
Night's  Rest. — Disappearance  of  the  Ice. — Remarkable  Preservation. — Frostbites. 
—  A  serviceable  pocket  Mirror. — Bad  Weather.  — Whaleskin  eaten  as  Food. — 
Attempted  Return  to  tho  Siiip. — Author's  weak  State. — Innuit  Seal-hunting.— 
Starving  Condition  of  tho  Party 194 

CHAI'TER  XIL 

Writing  under  Difficulties. — No  Firo  or  Lam]). — Only  two  Inches  of  Black  Skin  for 
Food. — Ravenous  Hunger  of  the  Dogs. — Relief  obtained. — Ebierbing's  Return. — 
A  Seal  capturod. — Supplies  from  tho  Ship. — Grand  Feast  of  raw  Meat. — Hunger 
iiectis  no  Sauce. — Great  Consumption  of  Food  at  a  time. — Old  Ookijoxy  Ninoo's 
Dream. — An  Iimuit  Mark  of  a  Seal-hole. — Tobacco-juico  useful. — Watching  for 
tho  Seal. — Innuit  Endurance  of  Cold. — Eating  frozen  Seal's  Entrails. — Mode  of 
cooking  and  partaking  of  Innuit  Food. — Severe  Cold. — Tho  Angeko  again. — 
Dumimj  tho  Fingers  with  cold  Brass. — First  Reindeer  scon. — More  Innuit  Arri- 
vals.— Improvidence  of  the  Natives. — Generous  Disposition. — Live  to-day  and 
Want  to-morrow. — Author  Visits  Kowtukjua — Clark's  Harbor — and  Ookoolear — 
Allen's  Island. — Return  to  the  Igloo  Village. — Departure  for  the  Sliip. — Too- 
koolito's  Sadness. — Quick  Journey. — Plaintive  Look  of  a  Seal. — Arrive  at  the 
George  Henry 20G 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Irksome  Change  from  a  Snow  House  to  the  Ship's  Cabin. — Native  Village  on  the 
Ice. — Scurvy  on  Board. — Best  Cure  for  it. — "Tuktool  Tuktoo!" — A  Reindeer 
Hunt. — Dogs  in  Chase. — Remarkable  Sagacity  and  Courage  of  Barbekark. — Tho 
Deer  killed  by  him. — Great  Struggle  between  them. — A  Venison  Feast  for  the 
Ship's  Crew. — Death  of  Blind  George's  \WSi. — Some  of  tho  sick  Crew  sent  to  live 
with  the  Natives. — Tho  Innuir.  King-wat-che-nng. — His  Kindness  to  White  Men. 
— Koojcsse  and  Charley. — A  sick  Man's  Obstinacy. — One  of  tho  Sailors  missing. — 
Search  for  him. — Severely  cold  Weather. — Most  of  the  Party  unable  to  k^cp  up 
tho  Search. — The  Author  and  one  Sailor  persevere. — Tho  missing  Man's  Tracks; 
his  erratic  Movements ;  ho  gets  confused  and  goes  Seaward ;  has  a  Rest  in  tho 


viii 


CONTENTS. 


Snow ;  moves  on  again,  and  proceeds  Miles  from  the  Ship ;  his  Scramble  round 
an  Iceberg. — Autlior  and  his  Companion  exhausted. — Temptation  to  Ho  down 
and  Sleep. — Sledge  arrives  from  the  Ship. — Search  continued. — Tracks  lead  to 
the  Shore. — Signs  of  a  fearful  Struggle. — Discovery  of  the  Body,  frozen  stift". — 
Ground  too  hard  to  dig  a  Grave. — Cover  the  Corpse  with  Ice  and  Snow. — R<jturn 
to  the  Ship Page  21'J 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Visited  by  more  Innuits. — Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito. — The  Seal-dog. — Perils  on 
the  Ice. — Innuits  carried  out  to  Sea.^Starvation. — Dsgs  eaten. — Three  Months 
away  from  Land. — Return  of  the  Party,  mere  Skeletons. — Thrilling  Incidents. — 
An  Innuit  carried  down  by  a  Whale  and  afterward  saved. — A  Plan's  Leg  snap- 
ped off. — Suzhi's  Husband  killed  by  an  Avalanche. — Incidents  of  White  Men's 
Perils  and  Escapes. — Kindness  of  the  Natives. — Another  Man  nearly  frozen  to 
Death. — Heavy  Snow-storm. — Danger  to  Mate  Rogers  and  his  Innuit  Guide. — 
Dog  Barbckark  saves  them. — Commencement  of  Spring. — Author's  Occupations. 
— Makes  some  Instruments  for  his  Use  in  exploring. — Plans. — Strange  Informa- 
tion gathered  from  the  Natives. — Tradition  concerning  White  Men. — Frobisher's 
Expedition 243 

CHAPTER  XV. 
First  Excursion  in  Frobisher  Bay. — Crossing  the  Mountain  Pass. — Traveling  on  the 
Ice. — A  Tradition  concerning  White  Men  masting  a  Ship. — Arrival  at  Oopung- 
newing. — Annawa's  Home. — Hospitable  Reception. — Close  Sleeping-quarters. — 
Ten  Persons  in  a  Bed. — Morning  Walk. — The  Innuiflr  illagc. — Twer-puk-ju-a. 
— Sterry  living  with  the  Natives. — Miner. — C/ianniny  a  Seal. — Kokerjabin's  Birth- 
place.— Kingaite. — Karmowong. — Author  adopts  Innuit  Life. — Trij)  along  the 
Coast. — The  "Ice-foot." — Summer  Resting-places  of  the  Innuits. — Sundry  Arti- 
cles belonging  to  a  wrecked  Ship. — Ec-vic-toon. — Native  Monuments. — Grandeur 
of  Kingaite  Mountains. — The  Grinncll  Glacier. — A  fatiguing  Journey. — Disap- 
jjointed  of  a  Night's  Shelter. — Moonlight  Traveling. — Ajioor  Sn])per. — Thirst. — 
An  impromptu  Igloo. — A  cold  Bed. — Next  Day's  Journey. — Discover  the  Na- 
tives.— Sampson  and  his  Family. — Kind  Reception. — A  Seal  Hunt. — Feasting. — 
The  Seal's  Eyes  given  to  youngest  Cliild. — Knowledge  rommj  to  an  Inquirer. — 
Tide  entering  the  Igloos  at  Night. — Innuit  Women's  Mouths  good  Receptacles  for 
cleansing  Purposes. — Snow-storm. — Author  accustomed  to  Innuit  Food. — How  it 
is  eaten. — Seal's  Brains  and  Entrails. — Author  becomes  an  Angeko.  —  Return 
Journey. — Laughable  Incident. — A  tight  Fit. — Curious  Mountain  Mark. — Abun- 
dance of  Animal  Life. — Arrival  at  Twerjiukjua  and  at  Annawa's. — An  animated 
Sunday  Picture. — Return  on  Foot  to  thc'Ship. — Arrival 25(» 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Snow-blindness. — Month  of  May.  —  Sltip  released  from  her  lee-prison. — A  spirited 
Scene. — Sledge-dogs  at  full  Speed. — "Bob,"  the  Angeko. — Falling  Igloos. — An- 
ecdote of  Bob. — Terrific  Encounter  with  a  Bear. — A  Toss  in  the  Air. — A  power- 
ful Innuit. — The  aged  AVoman,  Ookijoxy  Ninoo. — Tookoolito  Interpreter. — Im- 
portant Information. — Traditions  relating  to  Wliite  Men  very  many  Years  ago. — 
Ships  with  many  People  had  arrived. — Two  Innuit  Women  taken  away. — Five 
Innuits  killed  by  White  Men.  —  Five  White  Men  among  the  Innuii:..  Written 
History  confirmed  by  Oral  Tradition. — Barrow's  History  of  Arctic  Discjvery. — 
Relies  of  the  White  Men  to  bo  found. — Wood,  Coal,  Brick,  Iron. — Innuits  must 


."^  "O-  riti'- 


CONTENTS.  ix 

possess  the  Truth  concerning  Franklin's  Expedition. — More  Information.— The 
Dreaded  Land.— Preparations  for  Summer  Worlv.— Illness  of  Tookoolito.— Ex- 
ploration  at  Head  of  Field  Bay.— Dangerous  Traveling  on  the  Ice.— Pools  of 
Water  formed. -Arrive  on  Land.— Extensive  View.— A  beautiful  Grassy  Plain. 
—Comparison  with  Greenland.— Lands  behind  the  Coast,  at  this  Part,  very  fer- 
tile.— Reindeer  numerous. — llelurn  to  the  Ship • Page  273 

CHAPTER  XVIL 
A  successful  Deer-hunt.  —Venison.  —Another  Journey.— Se-ko-se-lar  Innuits.— 
The  Land  Puss.— Magnificent  Scenery.— Countess  of  Warwick  Sound.— Impor- 
tant Discovery.— Piece  of  Brick.— Relic  of  Frobisher's  Expedition.— Sledgc-dMvo 
in  a  Snow-storm.— A  Wiiirl  in  the  Snow.— An  involuntary  Slide.— Value  of  a 
Compass.— Safe  Arrival  on  Board.  —  Anniversary  of  Departure  from  Home- 
State  of  the  Ice.— "Man-traps."— The  Whale  Depot.— Plenty  of  fresh  Jlcat.— 
Stranger  Innuits  arrive.— A  startling  Tale.— Two  Boats  of  White  Men  land  on 
the  Coast. — First  Idea  concerning  them.— After-knowledge  of  the  Truth.— Loss 
of  tlio  English  Store-sliip  A'i«^.— The  Locality  of  Sekosclar.— Innuit  Inforraa- 
tion.— Head  of  Frobisher  Bay. — ^Tradition  of  Parry's  Voynge.— Old  Innuits  re- 
member visiting  him.  —  Extract  from  his  Narrative. — Sekosclar  Innuits  dislike 
civilization  Food.— "Barbarous  Stuff."— Strange  Dialect.— Phj-sical  Superiority 
of  the  Sekosclar  Men 287 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Journey  to  the  Unknown,  or  "  Dreaded  Land." — Slender  Outfit. — Abundance  of 
Seal-meat  soon  taken. — Bad  Weather.  —  Sylvia  Island.  —  Luptou  Chiruol. — 
Jones's  Tower. — A  Butterfly. — Tupic  Encampment. — Magnificent  Iceberg. — 
Dine  on  raw  Seal. — New  Land. — Remarkable  Gap. — Cape  Daly. — Ilummocky 
Ice. — Ancient  Piles  of  Stones. — Discover  a  new  Channel. — Dr.  Kane's  Channel. 
— Immense  number  of  Seals. — Great  Slaughter. — Koodloo  still  fears  the  "Dreaded 
Land." — Charming  a  Seal. — Abundance  of  Animal  Life. — Arrive  at  the  extreme 
Land. — Ascend  a  high  Mountain. — Ancient  Monuments. — Extensive  View. — 
Davis's  Straits. — Frobisher  Bay. — Meta  Incognita. — Resolution  Island,  and  higli 
Land  to  the  North. — Sudden  appearance  of  a  Steam-ship. — Disappointment. — 
Mount  Warwick. — A  Beav-hunt. — North  Foreland. — Return  Journey. — !Modc 
of  making  Traces  and  Walrus  Lines. — Note-book  Lost. — Its  Recovery. — Heavy 
Snow-storm. — Encamp  on  a  large  Island. — Ancient  Dwellings  of  Innuits. — Rapid 
Journey  back  to  the  Ship. — Dangerous  Traveling. — Ice  breaking  up. — Safe  ar- 
rival on  Board. — Means  of  sustaining  Life  in  these  Regions 208 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
An  Excursion  to  the  Whaling  De'pot. — Passage  across  Field  Bay. — Singular  Mode 
of  capturing  Seals. — Chapcll  Inlet. — Cross  to  Frobisher  Bay. — Arrive  at  the 
Whaling  De'pot. — A  large  and  bustling  Place. — Consultation  as  to  Author's  Plans. 
— Vain  Hope  of  pursuing  his  Voyage. — Pufo  in  Distress. — A  Walk  to  "Bear 
Sound." — Great  number  of  Pieces  of  Limestone. — Boat  Trip  to  Bear  Sound. — 
Velocity  of  the  Tides. — Immense  number  of  Ducks  and  Wild-fowl. — Eggs  ob- 
tained in  abundance. — "lee  Collars." — Natural  Bridges  of  Ice. — Return  to  Res- 
cue Harbor. — Stop  at  French  Head. — Cor])se  of  John  Brown  still  there,  and  un- 
molested.— Arrive  on  Board. — Fourth  of  July  ngoin, — Field  Bay  clearing  of  Ice. 
— Look-out  Island. — Luxuriant  Vegetation. — Musquitoes. — Ugnrng's  Influence 
and  Character,— A  Love  Affair. — Little  Ookoodlenr  and  the  Outcast  E-tu. — An 


■) 


/ 


X  CONTENTS. 

unnatural  Father. — A  Child  left  deserted  on  a  solitary  Island. — Procures  Food 
by  catching  Partridges  with  his  Hand. — Lives  a  Hermit  Life  for  Montlis. — Is  res- 
cued by  chance  Visitors. — Grows  to  Manhood  shunned  by  all  his  Race  save  a  few. 
— Ugnrng's  generous  Protection Pago  317 

CHAPTER  XX. 

The  George  Henry  free  from  her  icy  Prison.— Dog  "  Smile"  capturing  a  Seal. — Fresh 
Fish  cai;ght. — Another  Trip  to  the  Whaling  Depot. — Immense  Flocks  of  Ducks. 
— Largo  Shoals  of  Walrus. — A  Walrus-attack  on  the  Boat. — Islands  in  Frobisher 
B.iy. — Innuit  Diseases. — Consumption. — Sharkey's  Wife. — "Las-as-ses." — In- 
#iit  love  for  Sweets. — Return  Trip  through  Lupton  Channel. — French  Head 
again. — Corpse  of  John  Brown  gone. — All  the  Ice  disapj)eared. — Great  Heat. — 
Traveling  over  broken  Ice. — Dangerous  Leaps. — The  liescue's  Ghost. — Supersti- 
tion of  Sailors. — Ice-floes  pressing  on  the  Ship. — Great  Danger. — The  "Ghost" 
again  apjKiars. — Author's  attempt  to  form  a  Vocabulary. — Aid  of  Tookoolito. — 
The  Innuits  fast  passing  away. — Return  of  all  the  Crew  from  Whaling  Depot. — 
Mate  Rogers. — Incidents  of  his  Trip  up  the  Bay. — Serious  Illness  of  some  Innuits. 
— Starvation. — A  good  Harbor. — Eating  Ducks  raw. — Arrival  on  Board. — Au- 
thor's Plans  for  exploring. — Leaves  th?  Ship. — Takes  up  his  Abode  with  the  Na- 
tives.— The  George  Henri/  departs. — Author's  Visit  to  the  Rescue's  Hull. — Arctic 
Robins. — Unexpected  Return  of  the  Ship. — Ebierbing  sick. — Jennie,  the  Angcko. 
— Practice  of  Ankooting. — Philosophy  of  the  Operation. — Opening  for  Missionary 
Enterprise. — Pemmican,  best  Mode  of  preparing  it. — Author  Visits  the  Ship. — 
Returns  to  Whaie  Island. — Ankooting  again. — Solemnity  of  the  Company  pres- 
ent.— Superstition. — Nice  Distinction  as  to  what  is  Work.— Final  Visit  to  the 
Shi]). — Natives'  Doubts  removed. — Crew  completed. — The  Fashions. — Suzhi  the 
heaviest  Innuit. — Preparations  for  the  Boat  Voyage  nearly  made 332 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Departure  on  Boat-voyage  to  explore  Frobisher  Bay.— An  Innuit  Crew. Author 

the  only  White  Man.— Arrives  at  Lupton  Channel,  and  makes  first  Encampment. 
—Next  Diiy's  Journey.— Innuit  Mode  of  drowning  Ducks.— Joyousness  of  the 
Crew.— Passing  through  Bear  Sound.— Visit  the  deserted  Whaling  Ddpot.— Sec- 
ond Encampment  on  Sharko. —Third  Day's  Trip. —A  Bear-hunt  in  the  Water.— 
Author's  narrow  Escape.— Land  on  Ooiningnewing.— Musquitoes  again.— Visit 
Niountelik.— Exi)lore  the  Island.— Important  Discovery.— "Sea-coal!"— Proof 
of  Frobisher's  Expedition  having  visited  hero.— Joy  of  the  Author.— Corroborative 
Testimony  of  Innuits  from  Tradition.— Carefully  examine  a  Deposit  of  Coal.— 
Return  to  Oopungnewing.— Great  Feast  on  the  Bear.- Innuit  Customs.- Bear's 
Bladder  and  Charms. — Polar  Bear's  Liver  poisonous 352 

CHAPTER  XXIL 

Chewing  old  Boots.— Formation  of  Icebergs.- Innuits  good  Anatomists.— Proceed 
on  the  Voyage.— Koojesse  draughting  the  Coast.— Sarah  G.'s  Cape.— Iron  Isl- 
and.—Arrive  at  Jones's  Cape.— A  Settlement  of  Innuits.— Native  Monuments.— 
Dental  Mill  for  trjing  out  Oil.— Blowing  a  Gale. — Danger  to  the  Boat.— Arrive 
at  Ming-u-toon.— Next  Day's  Trip.— Groat  Rise  and  Fall  of  Tides.— Boat  nearly 
aground. — Encamp  on  an  Island.— Bones  of  the  Whale  and  other  Animals. — A 
Grave.— Renew  the  Voyage.— A  Mill-race  of  Waters.— An  exciting  Time.— La- 
borious and  difficult  Work.— Beautiful  Weather.— Arrive  at  Waddell  Bay  and 
make  seventh  Encampment. — Depart  again. — Meeting  with  old  Artarkparu. — A 


CONTENTS.  xi 

pereevering  and  industrious  Cripple. — Proceed  toward  liis  Village. — Annawa  and 
other  Natives  there. — Women  busily  engaged  sewing  Skins. — Nursing  a  big  Boy. 
— ^A  good  Feast. — More  information  about  Frobisher's  Expedition. — Continue  the 
Voyage. — Numerous  Islands. — Eighth  Encampment. — Ascend  a  Mountain. — Re- 
s  markable  Features  about  it. — Large  Caverns. — Huge  Rocks  ready  to  Fall. — Tho 
Aurora. — Curious  Phenomena Page  368 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Leave  eighth  Encampment. — Seals. — Meeting  Innuits. — Make  ninth  Encampment 
on  Rao's  Point. — A  Seal-feast. — Reindeer  Moss  abundant. — More  traditional 
History. — Start  on  Voyage  again. — A  two-milo  Walk  over  Rocks. — Jack  the 
Angeko. — Ankooting  Tweroong. — Tho  two  Boats  and  two  Kias. — Picturesque 
appearance  of  tho  Women  Rowers. — The  Flag  of  the  Free. — Tenth  Encampment. 
— Icebergs  on  tho  Rocks. — Renew  the  Voyage. — Visit  the  Island  Frobisher's  Far- 
thest.— Tho  great  Gateway. — President's  Seat.  —  Beautiful  and  warm  Day. — 
Fine  Scenery. — Make  eleventh  Encampment. — Morning  Walk. — Abundance  of 
Game. — Seals  and  Reindeer  in  abundance. — The  Roar  of  a  Cataract. — Waters 
alive  with  Salmon. — Discover  the  Termination  of  Frobisher  Bay. — Enter  an  Es- 
tuary.— Make  Landing. — A  Lemflg. — Tweroong  sketches  Kingaitc  Coast. — Rein- 
deer Skins  for  Clothing. — Luxuriant  Fields. — Reindeer  Tallow  good. — A  pedes- 
trian Excursion. — Innuit  Monument. — Ancient  Dwellings. — Sylvia  Grlnnell  River. 
— A  Pack  of  Wolves. — Glories  of  the  calm  clear  Night. — Aurora  again. — A  Land 
abounding  with  Reindeer. — Blueberries. — Method  of  taking  Salmon. — Bow  and 
Arrows 383 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Prepare  to  leave  twelfth  Encampment. — Proceed  on  the  Voyage. — Passing  along 
Head  of  Frobisher  Bay. — Peale  Point. — Bishop's  Island. — Land  on  Kingaite,  and 
make  thirteenth  Encampment. — Author  ascends  a  Mountain. — ^The"  Stars  and 
Stripes." — A  new  Country. — Night  at  the  Camp. — ^Sunlight  on  the  Mountains. — 
Talk  with  sick  Tweroong. — The  Bible. — Innuit  Ideas  of  Heaven  and  Hell. — Fog- 
gy Day. — Aggoun. — Not  aTuktoo,  but  a  Goose. — Vexatious  Delays. — Fourteenth 
Encampment. — A  Day  of  Trials  and  Discoveries. — Arrive  at  West  side  Head  of 
Frobisher  Bay. — Jordan's  River. — Hazard's  Banks. — Explore  the  new  Land. — 
Beautiful  Cascade. — Extensive  and  verdant  Plains. — Brent  Geese. — Silliman's 
Fossil  Mount. — Romantic  Pass,  tho  Great  Gateway. — A  white  Whale. — An  Innu- 
it's  ill  Humor. — His  savage  Attack  on  his  Wife. — Another  Walk  to  the  Falls. — 
Picturesque  Scenery. — Greenwood's  Land. — Reindeer. — Start  on  Excursion  to  the 
Great  Gateway.  —  Bad  Weather. — Arctic  Owl. — Fossils. — Author  sick. — Kind 
Attention  of  Tweroong. — Dish  of  Salmon. — Laughable  Incident. — Koomuk  and 
Pepper. — Another  Excursion. — Visit  to  Silliman's  Fossil  Mount 897 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Departure  from  Greenwood  Land. — Numerous  Rocks. — Furious  Tides. — ^Narrow 
Escape.— Preservation  Island. — Beginning  of  Winter. — Ice  forming. — Author's 
Illness. — Visits  tho  principal  Islands  at  Head  of  the  Bay. — Koojesse  a  skillful 
Boatman. — Another  critical  Position. — Nearly  wrecked. — Saved  by  the  rising 
Tide. — Departure  homeward. — The  Kingaite  Coast. — Boisterous  Weather. — ^De- 
tained on  a  rugged  Island. — Renew  the  Voyage. — Difficulties  with  the  Innuit 
Crew. — Freedom  and  Independence. — Land,  and  make  eighteenth  Encamp- 
ment   412 


xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Continue  the  Voyage, — Land  on  nn  Island. — Innuit  Insolence. — Leave  Kingaite 
Const  for  the  North  Side  of  the  Buy  of  Frobishcr. — Arrive  at  nineteenth  Encamp- 
ment.— Inniiit  Superstition. — Extraordinary  Scenes. — Singular  Customs. — Twen- 
tieth Encampment. — Drinking  Deer's  Blood. — Twenty-first  Encampment. — 
More  Ankooting. — Mystical  Songs. — "Fool's  Gold." — Parting  with  old  Too-loo- 
ka-ah. — Arrival  at  Niountelik. — Proceed  to  Kodlunarn,  or  "VV^hite  Man's"  Isl- 
and.— Important  Discoveries. — Ship's  Trench. — Ruins  of  Stone  Houses. — Coal 
and  Tile. — Return  to  Niountelik  and  encamp. — Next  Day's  Search. — Cruise  in 
"Countess  of  Waiwick  Sourfd." — The  American  Flag  again  upraised. — Arrive 
nt  Tikkoon. — Discovery  of  a  heavy  Piece  of  Iron. — Passage  across  the  Sound. — 
Strong  Breeze. — Proceed  up  Victoria  Bay. — Magnificent  Scenery. — Precipitous 
Mountains. — A  Cave. — A  Sea\  Jloutlmj  on  the  Waters. — Ekkelczhun. — A  fine  and 
secure  Harbor. — Discovery  of  several  Tons  of  Coal  and  Flint-stones.— Return  to 
Niountelik ' Page  421 

CHAPTER  XXVIL 
A  Storm. — Detained  at  Niountelik. — Examiiif  the  Island. — Another  Deposit  of 
Coal  found. — H))ecimen3  collected. — Revisit  Kodlunarn. — Minute  Inspection. — 
More  Relics  found  of  Frobisher's  Expedition.  —  A  large  Piece  of  Iron. — The 
"  Ship's  Trench." — Depart  on  return  to  Ship. — Twenty-sixth  Encampment. — 
Revisit  the  Whaling  De'pot. — Passage  through  Bear  Sound. — Twenty-seventh  and 
last  EncnnijiMiont  by  Lupton  Channel. — Innuit  Deposits  of  Food. — Good  Faitli 
and  Honesty  of  the  Natives  toward  each  other. — Avoidance  of  the  "  Dreaded 
Land." — Last  Day's  Journey. — Arrive  near  Parker's  Bay. — Anxiety  and  Excite- 
ment as  to  the  Ship. — Gain  Sight  of  her. — Arrival  on  Board. — All  well! 435 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Visit  the  friendly  Natives. — Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito. — A  Surprise. — Birth  of  a 
Son. — Artarkpnru's  Information. — More  concerning  Frobisher's  Expedition. — A 
great  Number  of  Innuits  around  the  Ship. — They  all  concur  in  the  traditionary 
History  given  to  me. — Author's  Anxiety  to  renew  his  Discoveries. — Another  Boat- 
trip. — Cross  the  Bay  to  ChapoU  Inlet. — Camp  for  the  Night. — Continue  the  Voy- 
age.— Bad  Weather. — Heavy  Gale. — Encamp  once  more. — Visit  an  Innuit  De'pot 
of  Food. — A  severe  Hurricane. — Boat-voj-nge  abandoned. — Return  to  the  Ship. — 
Cai)turo  of  two  Whales. — A  Man  dangerously  hurt  by  a  Whale 442 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
The  Anvil. — Preparations  for  returning  Home. — Excursion  to  Bayard  Taylor  Pass. 
— Hard  Climbing. — An  extensive  View. — The  Ice  Pack  in  Davis's  Strait. — A 

rapid  Descent. — Return  to  the  Ship. — Startling  Announcement  of  Captain  B . 

— Another  Winter  iu  the  Ice. — General  Gloom. — A  bitter  Disappointment. — How- 
to  live  and  keep  Warm. — Innuit  Simplicity  regarding  Money. — Author's  Prop- 
osition concerning  Stores 451 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Sick  Mam-ma-yat-che-ung  immured  in  a  living  Tomb ! — The  dying  Woman  lingers 
for  Weeks,  almost  starving. — The  Aurora  Borealis. — A  magnificent  Display. — 
Strange  Custom  relating  to  new  Mothers, — Nukertou's  Grave. — More  singular 
Customs. — A  Talk  with  the  Dead. — Presents  to  the  Departed. — Life  in  the  Win- 


CONTENTS. 


zm 


ter. — Thcntricftls  on  Board. — Ilenrj"  Smith,  the  "NcRross." — Constcrnntion  of 
some  of  the  Iiinuits  on  seeing  a  black  Face. — Anotlier  Excursion. — A  Winter 
Sledge-journey. — Old  Mother  rntato. — Novel  Mode  of  warming  the  Feet. — Mora 
traditionary  Statements. — A  great  Feast. — Frozen  Deer. — Deer's  Paunch  con- 
sidered delicious  Food. — Kcturn  to  the  Ship. — Visit  Tik'-.oon. — Tradition  of  a 
Ship  built  and  masted Page  4G3 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
Movements  of  the  Ship's  Company. — Scarcity  of  Provisions. — A  Man's  Feet  frozen 
stiff. — Amputation  necessary. — Dreadful  Story  of  a  Woman  deserted. — Attempt 
to  Rescue  her. — The  Attempt  a  Failure. — A  perilous  »Situation. — A  second  Effort. 
— The  Woman  found  dead. — Ebicrbiug  at  a  Seal-hole. — Innuit  Perseverance. — 
The  Author's  Plans i82 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Commencement  of  Sledge  Journey  up  Frobisher  Bay. — Parting  with  Tookoolito. — 
Crossing  the  Pass. — Arrival  at  Oopungnewing. — Search  for  tlio  "Anvil." — A 
Seal-feast. — A  Walrus  Hunt. — Spearing  the  Walrus. — Building  an  Igloo. — In- 
nuit Puppies. — Arrival  at  Brewster  Point. — A  young  Seal. — Unsuccessful  At- 
tempt to  catch  the  Mother. — Trip  up  Newton's  Fiord. — Out  all  Night. — An  ex- 

•  tempore  Igloo  the  fourth  Encampment. — Dog  Comforters. — Caught  in  a  Storm. — 
Peril  and  Fatigue. — Safe  Return  to  the  fifth  Encampment,  same  as  the  third   497 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Continue  the  Journey  up  Frobisher  Bay. — Arrive  at  Beauty  Bay. — The  Sledge  at- 
tacked by  hungry  Dogs. — Meeting  with  Friends. — Bereavement  of  old  Allokeo 
and  his  Wife. — Death  of  Tweroong. — Heart-rending  Particulars. — A  Seal-feast. 
^ — A  sudden  Excitement. — Strange  Visit  of  an  Angeko. — Parting  with  Allokee. 
—Visit  to  the  Grinnell  Glacier. — Ascent  by  Polar  Bear  Tracks. — A  Sea  of  Ice. — ■ 
An  exciting  Journey  back 611 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Innuit  Food. — Picture  of  a  Dinner-party. — Rabbit  charming. — Proposed  flyingTrip. 
— Freaks  of  Jennie. — Her  Foot-race  after  the  Sledge.  —  Feminine  Coquetry. — 
Sharkey's  Despair. — Change  of  Plans. — Koojcsse's  Ugliness  — Final  Adjustment 
of  Plan. — Departure  on  (lying  Trip. — An  Upset. — Wolves. — Chase  of  a  Bear  and 
Cub. — Capture  of  the  latter. — Night  Traveling. — Return  to  Place  of  Starting. — 
Set  out  for  the  Ship. — Arrive  on  Board 022 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito. — They  decide  to  Visit  America. — More  Frobisher  Relics. 
— A  Musket-ball. — Old  Ookijoxy  Ninoo. — Interesting  Conversation. — Her  Sketch 
of  the  Monument.— Innuit  Superstition. — The  Lock  of  Hair. — Sledge-journey 
alone. — Anotlier  Trip  with  Ebierbing. — Danger  on  the  Ice, — Remains  of  Innuit 
subterraneon  Houses. — A  critical  Situation.— Boat-excursion  to  Countess  of  War- 
wick's Sound.— A  large  Traveling  Company.— Kodlunarn  again.— Fresh  Discov- 
eries.— Another  Voyage.— Sharkey's  Monument.— Walrus  Meat 542 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Revisit  Victoria  Ba.v. — Packed  Ice  setting  in  the  Sound.— Detention  and  difficult  Es- 
cape.—Return  to  the  Whaling  Depot.— Joyous  News  from  the  Ship.— All  Hands 


xiv  CONTENTS. 

summoned  on  Board.— Great  Excitement. — Adieu  to  Bear  Sound,  Lupton  Chan- 
nel, and  French  Head. — Arrival  on  Board. — Tho  Ship  free  from  Ice. — Prepar- 
ations for  Sailing. — Visit  to  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito. — Their  readiness  to  go 
to  America. — August  9th,  1862,  the  George  Henry  lifts  Anchor,  and  gets  under 
way  for  Home. — Friendly  Adieux  to  the  Natives. — Oneo  more  at  Sea. — First  Sign 
of  Civilization  for  twenty  Months. — Newfoundland. — Pilot  comes  on  Board. — 
First  News  of  the  War. — Kindly  Reception  at  St.  John's. — Arrival  at  New  Lon- 
don.— Conclusion Pngo  658 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

INNUIT  OR   ESQUIMAUX   CHARACTER,  CUSTOMS,  ETC. 

The  Innuit  Name. — Character  of  the  People. — Their  domestic  Life. — Peculiar  Cus- 
toms concerning  Women. — Social  and  political  Life. — Theological  Ideas. — Be- 
lief in  a  God.  —  The  Angekos.  —  Mingumiiilo  and  his  two  Wives.  —  His  Rago 
against  Koojesse.  —  Superstitious  Customs  of  the  Innuits. — Customs  connected 
with  Hunting. — Innuit  Christmas  and  New  Year. — Innuit  Language. — Innuit  Cos- 
tume.— Native  Sagacity  in  studying  Natural  History. — Anecdotes  of  the  Seal — 
of  the  Polar  Bear.  —  Innuit  Ingenuity. — Always  ready  in  Emergencies. — Con- 
clusion    560 


APPENDIX. 

I.  The  Present  of  the  Rescue Page  585 

II.  Sums  paid  on  Account  of  the  Arctic  Research  Expedition 685 

HI.  Danish  Currency 5g8 

IV.  Pini-ma-in,  or  Chiefs 588 

V.  Frobisher's  Gold '. .*, sfg 

VI.  Tho  Wreck  of  the  George  Henry 588 

VII.  Bob's  Measurement 689 

VIII.  Frobisher's  Expeditions 589 

IX.  The  Loss  of  the  Bark  Kitty 593 

X.  Mincralogical  and  Geological  Specimens 694 

XI.  Arctic  Sledge 595 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Drawn  by  Charles  rAK80N8,W.  S.  L.  Jkwett,  II.  L.  Stephens,  Granville 
Perkins,  and  S.  Eytinoe,  after  sketches  by  the  Author,  Photographs,  and 
from  Implements  and  Clothing  collected  among  the  Esquimaux. 

1.  CHART  showing  A uthor's  Track  and  Discoveries At  End  of  Volume. 

2.  KSQUIMAUX  IMI'I.KMENTS Titlcjmge. 

8.  TOOKOOLITO,  C.  F.  IIALI.,  AND  EBIEKBING Frontininece. 

f    ASCENT  OF  AN  ICEIIERO I'ligo  3T 

D,   ?OnTRAIT  OF  KIDLAGO •lO 

6.  BURIAL  OF  KLDLAGO   42 

T.  KUDLAOO'S  MONUMENT 48 

8.  GREENLAND  CLRUENCY N 

9.  GREENLAND  WOMAN  AND  CHILD 01 

10.  FESTIVAL  ON  THE  ItlUTIIDAY  OF  THE  KING  OF  DENMARK 6T 

11.  DANCE  ON  BOARD  TIIi:  "GEORGE  HENRY" T6 

12.  BOAT-SU-MMERSET— ESQUIMAUX  FILVT 78 

13.  BELTED  ICEBERG 84 

14.  (iOTIIIC  ICEBERG 85 

15.  DISTORTED  MOON 87 

10.  LAST  .SIGHT  OF  THE  RUNAW.VYS 03 

17.  ICEBERG  AND  KIA 98 

IS.  I'lI'E  SKETCII-ei.ARK'S  HARBOR 109 

19.  STERllY'S  TOWEI! 113 

20.  FROBISHER  BAY  AXD  GRINNEI.L  GLACIER 119 

21.  esquimaux  chart,  drawn  by  looji.sse 125'^ 

23.  wre(;k  of  the  "uescue"  and  of  the  expedition  boat 141 

23.  EKKELUVUN— SALMON  BAIT 140 

24.  AURORA,  NOVEMBER  23,  1800 148 

25.  AURORA,  DECEMBER  17,  1S60 150 

26.  MKUJAI!,  THE  BOAT-STEERER  AND  PILOT 154 

27.  BONE  SLEDGE-RUNNER 103 

23.  BEAR-HUNT— TAPPING  THE  JUGULAR 174 

29.  ESQUIMAUX  STONE  LAMP  ANUITRE 175 

30.  THE  "GEORGE  HENRY"  IN  WINTER  QUARTERS 178 

31.  THE  DYING  ESQUIMAUX  NUKERTOU 190 

32.  .STORM. BOUND— ENCAMPED  ON  A  FLOE 19S 

83.  HEAD  AND  ANTLERS  OF  ARCTIC  REINDEER 206 

34.  SEALING  IN  THE  WINTER 211 

35.  BARBEKARK  killing  REINDEER 223 

36.  THE  LOST  FOUND— FROZEN  DEAD 238 

37.  PARHELIA,  OR  MOCK  .SUNS 242 

38.  ESQUIMAUX  AND  SEAL-DOG 244 

39.  BLIND  GEORGE  AND  HIS  D-VUGHTER 259 

40.  IGLOOS,  OR  SNOW  VILLAGE,  AT  OOPUNGNEWING 209 

41.  OODLOO,  OR  WOMAN'S  KNIFE 273 

42.  OOKIJOXY  NINOO  NARRATING  TRADITIONS 277 

43.  VIEW  FROM  THE  TOP  OF  SVIATA  ISLAND 300 

44.  ENCAMPMENT  AT  THE  FOOr  OF  JONES'S  TOWER 803 

45.  NORTH  FORELAND  OF  FROBISHER 311 

46.  HOMEWARD  BOUND,  ICE  BREAKING  UP 315 


xvi  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

4T.  ISNriT  RTRATKOY  TO  CAT'TURK  A  SKAL...  .'riigoniO 

4a  H»;AM.\(t  AN  ICK  (;OI,I,AU  IN  IlKAIt  XOUND 838 

49.  !)()(}  CAITl  ItlNOA  HKA. 388 

BO.    ■HKNCII  U I'AI) 886 

51.  TlIK  OlIOST  OV  TlIK  "IlKSCCI'r 880 

53.   I'AH.MINO  Tllltordll  I.riTON  ClIANNia. B55 

53.   W()1;NI>KI)  MNOO  TOWINt;  Ills  CAHOASS 880 

M.  DI.SCOVl'.KY  or  KIIOIIISIIKK  HICLIOS  AUUUST  11,1801 808 

55.  sr/lll'S  HOOT  MIM.INO ' 860 

50.  INNllT  MONI  Mi:vr  AT  TOONOWINE 872 

57.  INNI  IT  HI  MMKIJ  VILLACH: 87T 

5S.  VIKW  AT  CJAl'K  .STKVKNS  AND  WAKO'S  INLKT 870 

50.  ti;niki)i:i{i.ii;n,  wii'io  or  k()o,)i;s.sk 888 

00.  ici:ni;i!(}.s  on  tiik  hocks— (;ui:at  fai.i.  of  tidk 88T 

01.  KSTl'AltY  OK  SYLVIA  (iUINNKLI,  KIVKK,  FUOUISUliU  B.VY' 889 

Ol  I.ANItlNCi  FOIt  NKHirs  KXC'AMI'.MKNT 800 

03.  KAI.-'IXa  Tin;  AMKIIKJAN  KI.A0 400 

64.  yll.LIMAN'S  FOSSIL  MOUNT 410 

05,  A  i)i;si-i:i!ATK  rri.i 414 

00.  I'UOltlsllKU'S  OOLl)  MINK  OH  TUKNDII 427 

07.  IIOAI"  IN  A  8TOKM 481 

08.  ONIO  OF  FKOlll.-'UI'U'S  GOU)  I'UOOFS 487 

09.  Kl!OmSlll.l£  IJKLIC'S  IN  RTOCKINO 438 

70.  OOMIliX,  OK  WOMAN'S  BOAT 460 

71.  WOODKN  MODKI.S  OF  FUoHISIIKII'S  ANVIL 462 

72.  TALLOW  MODKL  OF  FUOIlISIIKirs  ANVIL 488 

78.  FIIXD  B.VY  AND  DAVIS'S  STKAIT 465 

74.  AlIiORA  SKF.N  AT  1  II'.LI)  BAY,  NOVLMIilHt  2,  I8C1 404 

75.  AIRORA  AND  MI;TIX)R  OF  OCTOHKR  13,1^00 406 

70.  I'LAYIN(t  THE  KF.KLOUN 400 

77.  Tin;  IILICIIT  OF  lIOSriTALlTV 474 

78.  CIVILIZATION  'SLF.DGi; 481 

79.  SLKKINO  Tin;  LO.<r  VlLLAGi; 400 

80.  .em;  MOVI.D  NOT,  Sin;  AN.sWF.IM.D  N(tT 401 

8L  i;i!Ii;i!BlNG  AWAITI.NG  A  Si;iVL'S  "BLOW" * 405 

82.  IIAIU'OONING  A  WALRUS 501 

83.  HALL  ON  HIS  i;XI'L01!ING  KXI'ICDITION 504 

84.  Tin;  RKTURN  FROM  NEWTON'S  FIORD 610 

8.5.  WE  MUST  CON(jrER  OR  STARVE 512 

86.  ARM  OF  THE  GRINNELL  Ci LACIER 517 

87.  SLEPGE-LOG,  LINE,  AND  REEL 521 

85.  TERMINATION  OF  WARD'S  INLET 520 

80.  THE  IIINGRY  WOLVES 530 

00.  THE  BEAIMIUXT 582 

91.  YOI  XG  roLAR  COMING  TO  THE  POINT 534 

02.  HALL  .\XI)  EXPEDITION  CROSSING  FROBLSIl*R  B.VY !53S 

03.  WALRUS  SKULL  AND  TUSKS 541 

04.  FACSIMILE  OF  SKETCH  BY  OOKI.IOXY  MNOO 545 

95.  MONUMENTAL  ISLAND  OF  SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN 849 

90.  GATHERING  FROBISIIER  RELICS,  JULY,  1802 551 

97.  FROBISIIER  RELICS 552 

98.  E.SCAi'E  OVER  DRHTIXG  PACK :  LAST  SIGHTS 500 

00.  FARi;WELT,  IXNUITS 503 

100.  SECTIONAL  VIEW  OF  SE.\L  HOLE  AND  IGLOO 678 

101.  ESQUIMAUX  WATClll.NG  AT  SEAL  IGLOO 579 

102.  BEAR  KILLIXG  WALRUS 581 

103.  ESQUIMAUX  CUAUT,  DRAWN  BY  KOOPERNEUNO 683 


INTRODUCTION. 


As  this  book  ia  to  bo  a  work  of  narrative  and  adventure,  and 
not  one  of  argument  and  c.iscussion,!  shall  touch  but  very  lightly 
upon  those  subjects  which  might  lead  to  the  latter,  while  I  en- 
deavor to  give  as  much  variety  and  aa  much  fullness  of  detail  as 
possible  to  the  former. 

That  argument  and  discussion  may  arise  from  portions  of  what 
I  advance  is  very  probable ;  but,  if  so,  it  will  be  better  to  enter 
upon  such  in  another  form  than  this.  Headers  very  naturally  ex- 
pect to  be  entertained,  as  well  as,  perchance,  instructed  in  what  a 
voyager  or  traveler  puts  before  them.  Long,  prosy  dissertations 
are  seldom  wanted.  All  that  most  people  require  is  a  truthful 
report  of  personal  doings  in  strange  lands,  and  a  faithful  record 
of  incidents,  discoveries,  and  interesting  events  connected  with 
them. 

Such,  then,  is  th'e  task  I  have  taken  in  hand,  with  the  hope  that 
a  ready  excuse  will  be  granted  for  all  those  imperfections  neces- 
sarily consequent  upon  the  mode  and  manner  of  my  carrying  on 
the  work  in  which  I  was  engaged.  I  pledge  myself  as  to  the  lit- 
eral accuracy  of  what  I  state,  and  my  readers  will  be  able  to  see, 
as  they  move  onward  with  me  through  my  narrative,  how  diffi- 
cult it  was — alone,  and  with  no  other  pair  of  hands,  no  other  mind, 
no  other  thought,  sense,  or  perception  but  my  own — to  record,  day 
by  day,  the  occurrences  that  came  under  my  eye. 

In  addition  to  this,  I  had  to  make  all  the  observations — scien- 
tific, geographical,  and  otherwise — by  myself,  and  this,  too,  with  a 
knowledge  self-acquired,  and  with  instruments  so  few,  and  most  of 
them  so  imperfect,  till  rectified  by  myself,  that  my  labors  were  in- 
creased many  fold.  Thus,  in  the  following  pages,  let  truth,  varie- 
ty of  incident,  and  a  fliithful  report  of  disco /ery  and  adventure 
be  alone  expected.  Elegance  of  style  and  diction  must  not  be 
sought  for. 

As  it  will  be  well  to  avoid,  as  much  as  possible,  breaking  in 
upon  the  thread  of  my  narrative  elsewhere,  I  here  give  some  par- 

B 


xviii  INTUODUCTION. 

ticulars  as  to  the  cause  of  my  cinburkiiig  on  a  voyage  to  the  Arc- 
tic Seas. 

It  is  well  known  that,  for  many  years  past,  the  whole  civilized 
world  has  had  iLs  interest  much  attracted  toward  the  polar  re- 
gions in  consequence  of  the  lamentable  fate  of  the  Franklin  Kx- 
pedition.  The  labors  of  Great  Britain  to  discover  what  had  be- 
come of  her  lost  children,  and  the  sums  of  money  devoted  to  that 
purpose  (no  less  than  X2, 000,000  sterling),  stand  unparalleled  in 
past  history.  Nor  was  America  behindhand  in  the  generous  and 
humane  work.  That  the  missing  navigators  belonged  not  to  our 
own  beloved  land  made  no  difference.  ,  The  one  general  feeling 
was  the  same  with  reference  to  a  desire  for  participating  in  the 
search  after  those  who,  having  periled  themselves  in  devotion  to 
science  and  the  good  of  mankind,  had  become  as  brothers  to  us 
all.  Ilence  the  banner  of  Columbia  —  the  glorious  stars  and 
stripes — floated  to  the  breeze  of  an  arctic  clime,  side  by  side  with 
England'*  proud  flag,  in  the  noble  errand  of  humanity,  for  which 
a  goodly  fleet  of  some  twenty  vessels  had  been  "Sent  forth!  Of 
the  many  bright  names  already  chronicled  for  their  generous 
deeds  in  connection  with  those  arctic  explorations,  need  I  say  that 
none  stand  more  conspicuous  than  that  of  Henry  Grinnell  ?  What 
he  and  others  have  done  is  so  familiar  to  all  men  who  know  any 
tiling  of  this  matter,  that  I  need  not  recapitulate  what  has  been  so 
often  told ;  but  I  can  not  let  pass  the  mention  of  that  one  name 
here  without  expressing  the  warm  emotions  of  my  own  heart. 
Henry  Grinnell  has  been  to  mc,  as  he  has  shown  himself  to  all 
who  were  at  work  in  the  Franklin  search,  a  true  and  noble  friend. 
To  him  I  feel  more  than  ordinarily  indebted.  He  not  only  help- 
ed me  in  my  undertaking,  but  he  has  cheered  me  on,  and  spoken 
words  of  comfort  and  bright  hope  when  my  soul  was  often  nearly 
overwhelmed.  The  memory  of  his  generous  kindness  frequently 
sustained  and  helped  to  invigorate  mo  anew  when  wearied  and 
exhausted  in  the  wild  regions  I  have  lately  been  exploring.  May 
every  blessing,  therefore,  attend  him  and  his,  is  my  earnest  and 
grateful  prayer. 

As  to  the  search  for  Franlclin  and  his  brave  comrades,  who  has 
not  heard  of  i'  fruitless  result?  Money  and  means  expended 
without  succefc.i .  Large  ships  and  small  ships,  in  magnificent  ex- 
peditions, sent  out  vainly  as  to  the  recovery  of  those  lost  I  True, 
some  discoveries  were  made,  and  certain  relics  and  information 
brought  to  England  by  Dr.  Rae  in  1854,  which  gave  a  clew  as  to 


INTRODUCTION.  xix 

where  the  missing  navigators  could  have  been  found;  but  not 
until  Captain  M'Clintoclf,  of  tlio  British  Navy,  in  the  spring  of 
1859,  visited  Boothia  and  King  WiUiam's  Land,  was  any  thing 
for  certain  known.  Then,  at  last,  wo  were  positively  assured  of 
the  locality  where  these  martyrs  to  science  had  been,  when,  as  a 
discovered  document  proved,  the  8hi[)8  were  abandoned  and  the 
majority  of  the  crews  had  taken  to  the  shore.  This  occurred  in 
April,  1848,  and  105  men,  as  we  are  told,  under  command  of  Cap- 
tains Crozier  and  Fitzjames,  landed  at  a  given  spot,  with  a  view 
of  making  their  escape,  if  possible,  toward  their  native  home. 
What  became  of  them,  except  two  skeletons  found  in  a  boat,  and 
one  other  near  the  beach,  has  not  yet  been  known.  Supposition 
alone  has  induced  the  world  to  believe  them  all  dead;  and, de- 
spite proof  upon  proof,  from  facts,  experience,  and  sound  logical 
reasoning  to  the  contrary,  the  government  of  England,  and  Brit- 
ish naval  officials,  with  some  eminent  exceptions,  have  discarded 
all  idea  of  farther  search,  though  the  truth  could  now  so  easily  be 
obtained,  and  the  ground  to  explore  so  small  and  comparatively 
so  easy  of  access  I 

I  will  not  trouble  the  reader  now  with  my  reasons  for  making 
these  statements,  based,  as  they  are,  upon  some  years  of  careful 
study  and  examination  of  all  that  has  been  said  and  written  upon 
the  subject  Let  me  here  briefly  mention  why  I  myself,  with  no 
previous  experience,  and  no  past  history  of  my  own  to  help  me, 
took  it  up  as  I  have  done. 

In  one  word,  then,  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  had  been  called,  if  I 
may  so  speak,  to  try  and  do  the  work.  My  heart  felt  sore  at  the 
thought  of  so  great  a  mystery  in  connection  with  any  of  our  fel- 
low-creatures, especially  akin  to  ourselves,  yet  remaining  un- 
solved. Why  could  not  their  true  fate  be  ascertained?  Why 
should  not  attempts  bo  made,  again  and  again,  until  the  whole 
facts  were  properly  known.  Captain  (now  Sir  F.  L.)  M'Clintock, 
in  1857-9,  had  gone  forth  once  more  to  seek  for  some  elucida- 
tion of  this  mystery,  but  still  I  felt  that  something  more  might 
yet  be  attempted  toward  co-operating  with  that  brave  officer.  It 
was  already  known  that  his  vessel,  the  Fox,  had  been  caught  in 
the  ice  and  delayed  a  whole  year.  It  was  possible  that  she  might 
still  not  be  able  to  get  through  to  her  destination,  and  therefore  I 
fancied  the  work  could  be  more  effectually  done  by  an  independ- 
ent expedition  proceeding  in  some  other  direction,  afterward  to 
join  with  M'CliYitock,  if  need  be,  in  his  task.    Accordingly,  I  con- 


XX  iN'ruouucnoN. 

ceived  an  idea  that  perhaps  the  British  government  would  lend, 
for  a  new  Ainericun  expedition,  the  aretic  Hhip  "  HeHolute,"  which, 
having  been  abundoned  in  the  ice,  had  drifted  out,  and  was  pick- 
ed up  in  1855  by  Captain  .Tarnea  lUulington,  of  New  Ijoiidon, 
who  brought  her  to  the  States,  wliero  nho  was  completely  relU- 
tod  at  our  national  expenat',  and  returned  as  a  generous  gift,  ip 
amity  and  good  will,  to  England. *  I  had  heard  that  she  was  after- 
ward dismantled  and  laid  tip  as  a  hulk  in  the  River  \redway,  and 
I  thought  it  {)ossiblo  she  might  now  be  loaned  to  us  for  another 
attempt  to  bo  made  under  the  American  flag.  A  printed  petition 
to  the  British  authorities  was  gotten  up  und  sigtied  by  S.  P.  Chase 
(then  Governor  of  Ohio),  U.  S.  Senator  George  Pugh,  and  Mayor 
Bishop,  of  Cincinnati ;  but,  before  other  names  were  attached  to 
send  it  to  England,  M'Cliiitook  returned  with  news  of  what  he 
had  discovered.  What  this  was  the  civili/.ed  world  is  well  ac- 
quainted with.  IIo  liad  obtained  a  few  facts,  but  still  left  the 
matter  very  mysterious!  That  it  could  have  been  otherwise  was 
almost  impossible  by  such  a  hurried  and  cursory  examination  of 
the  ground  as  ho  made  in  spring,  when  the  land  is  clothed  in 
its  winter's  dress.  Nor  could  ho  obtain  much  knowledge  of  the 
truth  by  a  few  casual  interviews  witli  detached  parties  of  Esqui- 
maux,- through  an  interpreter  who  ho  himself  says  "did  not  well 
understand  them."  No ;  neither  M'Clintock  nor  any  other  civ- 
ilized person  has  yet  been  able  to  ascertain  the  facts.  But, 
though  no  civilized  persons  knew  the  truth,  it  was  clear  to  me 
that  the  Esquimaux  were  awaro  of  it,  oidy  it  required  peculiar 
tact  and  much  time  to  induce  them  to  make  it  known.  More- 
over, I  felt  convinced  that  survivors  might  yet  be  found ;  and 
again  I  said  to  myself.  Since  England  has  abandoned  the  field  (I 
did  not  then  know  there  were  any  fresh  efforts  in  that  country 
to  renew  the  search),  let  7?i^,  an  humble  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  try  to  give  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes  the  glory  of  still  con- 
tinuing it,  and  perchance  succeed  in  accomplishing  the  work. 
Accordingly,  after  mature  consideration,  I  determined  to  make 
the  effort.  But  how?  what  were  my  means?  what  the  facilities 
for  reaching  the  coveted  goal  of  my  ambition  ?  Cincinnati,  where 
I  then  resided,  was  in  a  highly  civilized  part  of  the  world,  where 
ready  transit  from  one  place  to  another  could  be  obtained ;  King 
William's  Land,  where  I  wanted  to  go,  was  in  the  uncivilized  and 
distant  regions  of  the  frojion  North  !  What  was  T  to  do?  give  it 
up?    Perhaps  many  would  say,  as  some  did  say.  Yes,  what  have 


INTRODUCTION.  XXi 

you  to  do  with  it?  why  docs  it  concern  you?  Awny  with  the 
idea!  Hut  not  so;  my  convictions  were  Htrong,  and  I  could  not 
resist  tlie  desire  upon  ine.  I  determined,  theretbro,  to  try;  and, 
first  of  nil,  get  what  means  were  in  my  power,  then  find  a  way. 
Many  before  mo  had  accomplished  much  in  the  world  upon  as 
slight  a  foundation  as  that  of  mine.  What,  then,  was  to  hinder 
my  making  the  attempt?  Courage  and  resolution  were  all  that  1 
needed ;  ond  though  some  persons  might  not  concur  in  the  wis- 
dom or  prudence  of  my  effort,  still,  as  my  mind  was  upon  it,  try 
it  I  would,  and  try  it  I  did. 

I  need  not  enter  upon  all  the  many  difficulties  I  encountered. 
These  fall  to  the  lot  of  every  man  wlio  essays  to  try  his  hand  at 
sometlung  new,  and  especially  so  if  ho  starts  on  a  path  trodden 
without  success  before  him.  But  difficulties  sharpen  the  wit  and 
strengthen  the  mind.  The  experience  of  my  native  land  was  be- 
fore me  in  proof  of  what  man  could  accomplish ;  and  I  can  now 
safely  say  that,  though  the  obstacles  in  my  way  were  many  and 
great,  I  finally  succeeded  in  overcoming  them.  IIow  I  surmount- 
ed those  difticultics  and  started  upon  my  voyage  can  not  be  told 
at  any  length  here.  Suffice  it  that  I  began  in  Cincinnati  by  men- 
tioning my  hopes  and  wishes,  and  laying  my  plans  before  several 
of  the  leading  men  and  other  persons  well  known  in  that  city.  I 
also  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr. George  Peabody,  of  London,  stating  that, 
in  the  event  of  my  not  succeeding  in  any  other  way  to  reach  the 
arctic  regions,  I  would  attempt  it  overland  by  the  great  Fish 
River.  This,  however,  was  only  an  idea  formed  in  case  I  could 
not  get  a  ship  of  my  own,  or  a  conveyance  in  one  by  the  sea 
route. 

On  the  8th  of  February,  1860,  I  issued  a  circular  {vide  Ap- 
pendix), to  which  were  attached  upward  of  thirty  signatures, 
and  among  them  were  the  names  of  W.  Dennison,  Governor  of 
Ohio;  of  the  mayor,  R.  M.  Bishop;  of  Miles  Greenwood  ;  Senator 
Chase ;  several  other  persons  of  note ;  and  Thomas  Ilickey,  who 
was  with  Kane  on  the  second  Grinnell  Expedition,  Mr.  Hickey 
sent  me  a  letter  which,  from  its  value  as  the  opinion  of  one  com- 
petent to  judge,  deserves  notice.  I  here  give  an  extract  of  it  bear- 
ing upon  my  own  ideas.    He  says : 

"During  the  residence  of  our  party  in  the  arctic  regions  we 
experienced  many  severe  trials;  but,  I  must  say,  the  major  part 
of  them  emanated  from  our  mode  of  living.  When  we  lived  as 
Esquimaux,  we  immediately  recovered  and  enjoyed  our  usual 


xxii  INTRODUCTION. 

health.  If  Providence  had  so  ordered  it  that  we  should  not  find 
our  way  back  to  civilization,  but  should  cast  our  lot  with  Esqui- 
maux, I  have  no  doubt  we  would  have  lived  perhaps  quite  as 
long,  and  in  quite  as  good  health,  as  in  the  United  States  or  En- 
gland. Had  we  lost  our  commander,  I  confidently  believe  not 
one  of  our  expedition  would  have  returned.  Our  countrymen 
might  have  ccyne  to  us,  but  we  could  not  have  gone  to  them. 
White  men  can  live  where  Esquimaux  can,  and  frequently  whe>-e 
and  when  they  can  not.     This  I  know  by  experience.    *    *   *    * 

"Little  did  I  think, on  returning  to  the  United  States  with  my 
companions  and  beloved  commander,  that  I  would  ever  again  go 
to  the  north ;  but  believing,  on  my  soul,  from  a  practical  life  in 
the  arctic  ''egions,  that  you  are  right  in  entertaining  the  opinion 
that  sovie  of  >SV?'  JoJtn  Franklin^ s  men  are  yet  to  he  found  living  toilh 
the  Esquimaux,  and  that  they  should  he  rescued  and  restored  to  their 
country  and  friends,  I  hereby  cheerfully  offer  my  services,  and  vol- 
unteer as  a  member  of  the  expedition  you  propose  to  organize. 

"  For  direct  evidence  of  me,  and  my  devotedness  to  this  cause, 
I  would  refer  you  to  the  written  works  of  him  whose  memory 
and  name  I  almost  worship — Dr.  Kane." 

This  confirmation  of  my  views  was  exceedingly  gratifying,  but 
I  had  one  sent  to  me  which  still  more  stamped  upon  my  mind  the 
truth  of  what  I  had  surmised  in  respect  to  the  Franklin  Expedi- 
tion. It  was  from  Henry  Grinnell,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  and  will 
be  introduced  farther  on. 

After  laying  my  plans  before  friends  at  Cincinnati,  I  at  once 
started  for  the  Eastern  States,  with  a  view  of  consulting  men  of 
experience  in  the  arctic  whale  fishery,  and  also  calling  upon  oth- 
er persons  to  whom  I  had  letters  of  introduction. 

I  stopped  one  day  at  Philadelphia,  and  visited  Dr.  Hayes,  Mr. 
Kobert  Kane,  Mr.  George  Childs,  and  a  few  more  ;  then  proceed- 
ed on  to  New  York,  where  I  was  hospitably  welcomed  by  Mr. 
Grinnell,  who  entered  warmly  into  my  views. 

On  the  14th  of  February  I  went  to  New  London,  where  I  had 
an  opportunity  of  meeting  many  experienced  whaling  captains, 
among  whom  was  Captain  S.  A.  Brown,  who  was  very  warm  and 
kind  in  reference  to  my  plans.  Captain  Christopher  Chappel,  who 
had  passed  a  winter  in  Northumberland  Inlet,  likewise  gave  me 
great  hope  and  encouragement.  So  did  Mr.  Thomas  W.  Perkins, 
who  allowed  me  access  to  the  logs  of  various  voyages  made  in  the 
arctic  regions  by  vessels  belonging  to  the  late  firm  of  Perkins  and 


INTRODUCTION.  Xxiii 

Smith.  But  to  Messrs.  Williams  and  Haven,  upon  whom  I  called 
when  at  New  London,  I  am  especially  indebted.  In  every  possi- 
ble way  they  tried  to  help  me  as  to  my  plans ;  and  they  most  lib- 
erally tendered  me  the  well-known  schooner  "  Kescue"  (formerly 
of  the  first  Grinnell  Expedition)  for  $2000. 

I  am  also  under  great  obligation  to  Mr.  E.  II.  Chapell,  of  the 
same  place,  who  then  displayed — and  has  so  ever  since — an  earn- 
estness in  every  thing  connected  with  arctic  research  that  com- 
mands my  respect  and  esteem. 

Other  persons  that  I  called  upon  in  New  London  were  Captai'  ^ 
Sisson,  Tyson,  Quayle,  and  S.  0.  Budington,  with  whom  I  after- 
ward embarked  on  my  voyage.  Captain  Budington  had  brought 
to  this  country  an  intelligent  Esquimaux,  named  Kud-la-go,  whom 
I  afterward  fortunately  secured  to  accompany  me  as  an  inter- 
preter. 

At  Groton  I  called  upon  an  individual  named  W.  E.  Sterry. 
He  had  been  four  voyages  to  the  arctic  regions,  and  spent  three 
winters  in  Northumberland  Inlet.  I  asked  him,  How  long,  at 
any  one  time,  he  had  remained  with  the  Esquimaux?  Ills  reply 
was,  Two  months  in  the  spring  of  1855,  thirty  miles  from  the  ves- 
sel, .and  with  three  families,  consisting  of  about  twenty  individu- 
als, living  in  three  or  four  huts. 

Sterry  was  able  to  give  me  a  great  deal  of  useful  information, 
wliich  all  tended  the  more  to  confirm  my  views  upon  the  subject 
of  arctic  exploration. 

From  New  London  I  returned  to  New  York,  where  the  great 
kindness  of  Mr.  Grinnell,  and  the  friendly  attention  of  several  oth- 
er well-known  names,  much  encouraged  me.  Promises  of  assist- 
ance were  made,  and  donations  tendered  toward  my  expedition. 
Here,  by  invitation,  on  March  8th,  1860, 1  attended  an  informal 
meeting  of  the  American  Geographical  and  Statistical  Society,  to 
explain  my  views  and  intentions.  At  the  meeting  I  gave  a  brief 
statement  of  my  ideas  on  the  subject  of  Franklin's  Expedition, 
and  argued  upon  the  great  probability  of  some  survivors  yet  be- 
ing found.  Soon  after  this,  Messrs.  Henry  Grinnell,  Miles  Green- 
wood, and  E.  M.  Bishop  kindly  became  treasurers  of  the  fund 
raising  for  my  voyage,  and  it  was  now  determined  to  adopt 
the  following  plan,  which,  I  may  here  state,  was  the  one  I  acted 
upon,  so  far  as  I  could,  throughout  my  whole  undertaking.  I 
give  that  plan  as  promulgated  by  me  at  the  time.  I  said,  "  My 
object  is  to  acquire  personal  knowledge  of  the  language  and  life 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION. 

of  the  Esquimaux,  with  a  view  thereafter  to  visit  the  Lands  of 
King  William,  Boothia,  and  Victoria ;  then  endeavor,  by  person- 
al investigation,  to  determine  more  satisfactorily  the  fate  of  the 
105  companions  of  Sir  John  Franklin  now  known  to  have  been 
living  on  the  25th  day  of  April,  184:8. 

"  I  take  with  me  an  Esquimaux  interpreter,  and  during  my  so- 
journ in  the  arctic  regions  shall  employ  a  crew  of  natives  for  the 
boat  accompanying  me.  With  these  natives  I  purpose  starting 
from  Northumberland  Inkt,  and  proceed  up  an  arm  of  it  that  runs 
westward  toward  a  lake  not  far  from  its  extremity.  This  lake 
will  be  reached  by  crossing  a  small  j)ortage.  I  then  shall  traverse 
the  lake  to  its  western  outlet,  which,  by  Esquimaux  report,  is  a 
navigable  river  emptying  into  Fox  Channel.  On  arriving  at 
"  Fox's  Farthest"  (lat.  66°  50'  N.,  long.  77°  05'  W.),  I  shall,  if  prac- 
ticable, turn  to  the  northward,  proceeding  on  the  east  side  of  said 
channel  to  the  Straits  of  "Fury  and  Uecla,"  thus  uniting  the  dis- 
coveries of  Fox  in  1631  and  Parry  in  1821-3. 

"  On  completing  this  work  I  shall  cross  the  strait  to  Igloolik 
(lat.  69°  20'  N.,  long.  81°  53'  W.),  and  try  to  establish  friendly  re- 
lations with  the  community  of  Esquimaux  known  to  congregate 
at  that  point.  I  will  there  and  then  decide,  by  the  circumstances, 
whether  to  winter  at  Igloolik,  return  to  Northumberland  Inlet,  or 
proceed  southward  on  the  east  coast  of  Melville  Peninsula  to  Win- 
ter Island,  or  to  push  my  way  directly  westward  across  the  Gulf 
of  Boothia  to  Victoria  Ilarbor. 

"During  the  winter  and  early  spring,  sledge-journeys  will  be 
undertaken  with  a  view  of  acquiring  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  country. 

"  When  at  Northumberland  Inlet  and  other  places,  I  shall  care- 
fully examine  into  the  facilities  for  traveling,  so  as  to  decide  upon 
the  most  practicable  course  to  pursue  in  my  efforts  to  satisfactorily 
and  truthfully  determine  the  history  of  the  Franklin  Expedition. 

"To  extend  this  undertaking  to  a  favorable  conclusion  will  re- 
quire the  assistance  of  my  fellow-countrymen. 

"  This  voyage  is  one  I  am  about  to  make  for  the  cause  of  hu- 
manity and  science — for  geographical  discovery,  and  with  the  sole 
view  of  accomplishing  good  to  mankind.'''' 

Such  was  the  statement  I  made  of  my  views  and  intentions. 
Happily,  I  had  strong  confirmation  of  my  opinions  concerning  the 
Franklin  Expedition  from  Mr.  Henry  Grinnell,  who  gave  me  the 
following  letter : 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV 

"New  York,  March  14,  18G0. 
"Mr.  C.F.Hall: 

"  Dear  Sir, — Probably  no  one  in  this  country  is  more  desirous 
of  arriving  at  the  truth  relative  to  the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin 
and  his  party  than  myself.  The  fate  of  Franklin  and  some  of  his 
officers  and  men  is  known  by  the  record  found  on  King  William's 
Land  by  Captain  (now  Sir  F.  L.)  M'Clintock ;  but  the  fate  of  105 
members  of  Franklin's  Expedition,  living  on  the  25th  day  of 
April,  18-18,  and  many  other  matters  important  to  the  history  of 
that  expedition,  has  yet  to  be  determined. 

"  I  believe  some  of  the  105  may  yet  be  found  habitants  among 
the  Esquimaux  of  Boothia,  Victoria,  or  Prince  Albert  Lands.  1 
farther  believe  that  the  graves  of  Franklin  and  some  of  his  offi- 
cers and  men,  known  to  be  dead,  as  well  as  the  records  of  the  ex- 
pedition and  many  important  relics,  will  be  found  on  King  Wil- 
liam's Land,  if  search  be  made  ther3  in  the  months  of  July,  Au- 
gust, and  September. 

"The  course  you  propose  to  pursue  is  entirely  a  new  and  im- 
portant one,  and  I  see  not  why,  with  the  exercise  of  your  best 
judgment,  you  may  not  ultimately  accomplish  all  that  could  be 
desired  in  satisfactorily  determining  many  of  the  unsettled  ques- 
tions indicated  above,  as  well  aa  increasing  our  geographical 
knowledge  of  that  portion  of  the  arctic  regions  over  which  you 
propose  to  pass. 

"  You  have  my  earnest  wishes  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
noble  object  you  have  in  view,  and  I  will  cheerfully  contributi' 
toward  the  requisite  funds  to  carry  it  out. 

"  With  great  regard,  I  am  your  friend,     Henry  Grinnell." 

Shortly  afterward,  Messrs.  Williams  and  Haven,  of  New  Lon- 
don, sent  me  the  following  most  kind  and  generous  proposal : 

"  As  a  testimony  of  our  personal  regard,  and  the  interest  we 
feel  in  the  proposed  expedition,  we  will  convey  it  and  its  required 
outfit,  boats,  sledges,  provisions,  instruments,  etc.,  free  of  charrje, 
in  the  barque  Qeorge  Henry,  to  Northumberland  Inlet,  and,  when- 
ever desired,  we  will  give  the  same  free  passage  home  in  any 
of  our  ships." 

This  generous  offisr  relieved  my  mind  of  a  great  difficulty,  and 
most  gratefully  I  accepted  their  kind  proposition. 

Having  thus  far  succeeded  in  opening  the  way,  I  now  gave  di- 
rections for  a  suitable  boat  to  be  built. 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION. 

Mr.  G.  W.  Rogers,  of  New  London,  who  had  built  the  boats  for 
the  expeditions  under  De  Haven,  Kane,  and  Hartstene,  was  com- 
missioned to  build  mine.  Its  dimensions  were  as  follows :  length, 
28  feet;  beam,  7  feet;  depth,  29^  inches;  and  thickness  of  her 
planking,  which  was  of  cedar,  ^tlis  of  an  inch,  In  form  she  was 
similar  to  a  whale-boat,  drawing  only  eight  inches  of  water  when 
loaded  with  stores  and  a  crew  of  six  persons.  She  had  one  mast,* 
on  which  a  jib  and  mainsail  could  be  carried ;  a  heavy  awning 
to  shelter  the  crew  at  night  or  when  at  rest;  and  the  lockers 
for  stores  at  each  end  were  sufficiently  large  that  a  man  could,  if 
need  be,  comfortably  sleep  in  either  of  them.  Five  oars,  and  all 
other  essentials,  formed  a  portion  of  her  equipment.  The  sledge 
I  took  was  fiiade  under  my  own  eye  in  Cincinnati,  as  also  a  stock 
of  pemmican. 

*I  now  returned  to  the  West  for  the  purpose  of  settling  my  af- 
fairs and  preparing  for  departure. 

The  ])ress  gave  friendly  notice  of  my  intentions;  and  a  circu- 
lar was  issued  by  Mayor  Bishop  and  Miles  Greenwood,  inviting 
my  fellow-citizens  to  meet  me  at  the  Burnet  House.  This  meet- 
ing took  place  on  the  26th  of  April,  and  I  was  much  gratified 
with  its  auspicious  character. 

Soon  after  this  (on  May  10th)  I  bade  adieu  to  my  home  and 
friends — to  all  of  human  ties  that  1  held  dearest  to  my  heart,  and 
departed  for  New  York.  Here  I  devoted  the  remaining  time  in 
various  matters  connected  with  my  departure,  constantly  receiv- 
ing advice  and  assistance  from  Mr.  Grinnell.  Finally,  on  Sat- 
urday evening.  May  26th,  I  left  for  New  London  to  join  the 
George  Henry.  The  funds  for  my  expedition  were,  however,  so 
low,  that  I  found  my.self  sadly  deficient  in  many  things  that  were 
ahiiost  absolutely  necessary.  But,  at  the  last  moment,  when  this 
was  known  to  Mr.  Grinnell,  he  unhesitatingly  supplied  the  de- 
ficiency. 

On  arriving  at  New  London,  I  received  many  kind  invitations 
from  numerous  friends  I  encoifntered  there.  Among  others,  I 
can  not  forbear  alluding  to  a  dinner  given  the  day  before  my  final 
departure  by  Mr.  Haven  (of  the  house  of  Williams  &  Haven), 
who,  with  his  amiable  family,  extended  every  hospitality  toward 
me.  On  the  occasion  to  which  I  refer,  the  viands  were  plentiful 
and  good;  but  Mrs.  Haven  uttered  some  graceful  remark,  wish- 
ing there  had  been  longer  time  to  have  made  a  more  abundant 
and  richer  display  to  welcome  me ;  whereupon  one  of  her  young- 


INTRODUCTION.  XXVii 

est  sons,  a.  little  lad,  very  intelligently  said,  "He  guessed  that 
where  1  was  going  to  I  might  see  the  day  when  I  should  be  glad 
to  get  as  good!"  Since  then,  how  often  and  often  have  I  called 
to  mind  that  entertainment  and  young  Master  Haven's  words, 
especially  when  obliged  to  eat  scraps  of  raw  walrus  hide,  whale- 
skin,  the  contents  of  walrus  and  reindeer  paunches,  etc.,  and  some- 
times not  able  to  get  even  that  much  to  try  and  satisfy  my  crav- 
ing hunger!  Frequently  have  I  sat  down  and  thought  of  my 
dinner  at  Mr.  Haven's,  vainly  wishing  that  I  could  get,  if  it  were, 
only  the  very  poorest  fragments  of  that  Monday's  feast. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Grinnell  and  several 
citizens  of  New  London,  among  whom  was  Mayor  Harris,  I 
stepped  from  the  wharf,  amid  a  crowd  of  friendly  spectators, 
and  entered  the  boat  that  was  to  convey  me  on  board.  A  few 
strokes  of  the  oars,  however,  had  only  been  made,  when  we  re- 
turned at  the  voice  of  Mr.  Haven  hailing  us.  It  was  to  give  me 
a  present,  in  the  shape  of  a  little  book  called  "  The  Daily  Food," 
which,  though  small  in  size,  was  great  in  its  real  value,  and  which 
proved  my  solace  and  good  companion  in  many  a  solitary  and 
weary  hour. 

Once  more  bidding  adieu  to  all  on  shore,  the  boat  swiftly  car- 
ried mo  to  the  ship,  where  preparation  was  being  made  for  depart- 
ure. In  a  few  moments  more  the  steam-tug  was  alongside,  and 
we  were  towed  out  to  sea.  Then  came  the  final  moment  of  part- 
ing. The  last  farewell  had  to  be  uttered — the  one  word  that  was 
to  sever  me  for  many  months,  perhaps  years,  froni  my  country, 
ray  home,  my  friends !  Never  shall  I  forget  the  emotions  I  ex- 
perienced when  the  noble  Grinnell  came  to  take  my  hand  and 
say,  "  Good-by  !  God  bless  you  !"  Hardly  could  I  respond  to  his 
kind  and  earnest  expressions  toward  me  and  on  my  behalf.  With 
warm  but  trembling  utterance,  this  truly  great  and  good  man 
spoke  of  the  brave  old  navigators,  and  those  of  our  own  times, 
who  had  often  dared  the  perils  of  unknown  seas,  relying  on  their 
own  stout  hearts,  it  is  true,  but  depending  more  on  the  aid  and 
support  of  a  Supreme  Pow^ek.  He  bade  me  ever  do  the  same ; 
and,  commending  me  to  that  mighty  Being,  he  once  more,  with 
moistened  eye,  said  "  Farewell !"  and  hastily  embarked  on  the  tug- 
that  was  to  convey  the  visitors  on  shore. 

The  last  link  binding  me  to  my  own  dear  native  land  was  now 
severed.  The  steamer  cast  off  as  we  were  passing  Montauk  Point, 
and  then  there  arose  one  deafening  shout  from  those  on  board, 


xxvm 


INTRODUCTION. 


when  three  loud  cheers  were  given  for  the  ntame  of  Henry  Grin- 
nell ;  and,  as  the  echoes  floated  on  the  air,  our  good  ship,  now  un- 
der sail,  bore  me  rapidly  away.  Thus  I  left  my  country  to  try 
and  accomplish  that  object  upon  which  I  had  set  my  heart,  name- 
ly, the  solving  of  the  yet  unsettled  pystery  connected  with  the 
LOST  Franklin  Expedition. 

I  may  ns  well  say  here  that,  throughout  my  narrative,  all  references  to  the  Ap- 
pendix will  be  noted  by  sninll  numerals,  indicating  the  explanatory  notes. 


^\^- 


-^ 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Departure. — "  Rescue"  Schooner. — Names  of  Crew. — Outfit. — Sea-sickness. — First 
Sight  of  Wimles. — William  Stcrry. — Banks  of  Newfoundland. — Storm  at  Sen. — 
"Sulphur  Bottoms." — The  first  Iccbert;. — Visit  to  one. — The  Danish  Brig  Mari- 
ane. — Past  Ex]x;rience8  of  Scurvy. — Death  and  Burial  of  Kudlago. — Fourth  of 
July  at  Sea. — Halibut  and  Codfish. — Firet  Meeting  with  Esquimaux. — Native  Pi- 
lots.— Ephraim's  Pants. — Midnight  Sun. — Arrival  at  Ilolstcinborg. 

It  was  on  Tuesday,  May  29th,  1860,  that  I  departed  from  New 
London,  Conn.,  on  my  voyage  in  the  barque  Oeorge  Henry.  We 
were  accompanied  by  a  tender,  the  Amaret  schooner,  formerly  the 
far-famed  ''■Rescue'''  of  arctic  celebrity — a  name  that  I  intend  to 
retain  in  speaking  of  her  throughout  my  narrative. 

The  officers  and  crews  of  these  two  vessels  numbered  in  all 
twenty-nine  persons;  my  expedition  consisted  of  Kudlago  and 
myself,  thus  making  a  total  of  thirty-one  souls  leaving  New  Lon- 
don. 

As  I  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to  mention  some  of  the  ship's 
company  by  name,  I  here  give  a  list  of  them  and  their  rating  on 
board. 

TAst  of  Officers  and  Crew. 


S.  O.  Budington Captain. 

Frank  Rogers 1st  Officer. 

A.J.Gardiner. 2d       '■ 

Keubon  Lamb 3d      " 

Robert  Smith 4th      " 

C.  Keeney Boat-steercr. 

E.W.Morgan 

A.Bailey 

W.F.Roberts ;... 

W.  R.  Sterry... Blacksmith  and  Cooper 

J.  R.  Hudson Steward. 

Geo.  Beckwith Seaman. 

R.  A.  Comstock " 

H.Smith " 

A.S.Bradley " 


J.  B.  Neil Seaman. 

J.Buckley " 

S.  Willson " 

W.B.Russell " 

J.  Gray " 

W.Stokes " 

W^Conley " 

W.  Elliml " 

M.  Silva " 

W.Johnson " 

J.  Bruce " 

J.  Antonio " 

F.  Silva " 

J.Brown " 


80  ARCTIC  KESEAUCII  EXl'EDITION. 

My  outfit  lor  this  voyage,*  and  for  the  whole  of  my  exi)eili- 
tioii,  consisted  of 

Tho  boat,  already  dcHcrilu'd ;  1  Hicdgo ;  }  ton  of  poinmican ;  200  IIm.  Oordon'H 
meat  biscuit ;  20  lbs,  "  Ciiiciniiati  crui'kliiigs" — ]>ork-  scraps  ;  1  lb.  preserved  qiiinco  ; 
!  lb.  prcMcrved  pcacbes  ;  250  lbs.  |)o\vder  ;  a  (luan'ity  of  ball,  sliot,  and  percusBJon 
caps;  Iridc;  (» double-barreled  guns,  covers,  and  extra  fltiingH  ;  one  Colt's  revolver 
complete;  glass  beads,  a  quantity  of  needles,  etc.,  for  presents  to  tho  natives;  2 
dozen  pocket  knives  and  chopjicrs ;  some  tin-wore,  1  axe,  2  picks,  files,  etc. ;  n 
good  supply  of  tobacco  and  ])ipes  ;  wearing  ap|)arcl  for  self,  and  rod  shirts  for  pres- 
ents;  a  supply  of  stationery  and  journal  books,  etc.  ;  1  common  watch;  1  opera- 
glass;  1  spy-glass;  I  common  sextant  and  I  pocket  sextant;  1  artificial  horizon, 
with  extra  glass  and  mercury;  1  azimuth  compass;  1  common  compass;'  2  pocket 
compasses;  .')  ordinary  thermometers  and  two  self-registering  ones.  Some  naviga- 
tion books  and  several  arctic  works,  with  my  Bible  and  a  few  other  volumes,  formed 
my  library. 

Tills  list,  with  a  few  sundries,  constituted  all  the  means  and  ma- 
terial 1  had  to  carry  out  the  great  undertaking  my  mind  had  led 
me  to  embark  in.  How  iiir  I  accomplished  aught  commensurate 
with  the  ideas  I  had  formed,  let  the  sequel  show ;  but,  even  had 
I  wholly  failed,  assuredly  it  would  have  been  excusable  under 
such  circumstances. 

With  regard  to  my.self  pcnsonally,  now  that  the  excitement  of 
preparation  was  over,  and  I  had  time  to  think  more  and  more  of 
my  task,  a  reaction  took  place,  which  produced  that  depression  of 
mind  always  to  be  found  in  similar  cases.  This  was  soon  in- 
creased by  the  horrible  sensation  of  sea-sickness  which  I  experi- 
enced for  several  days  after  our  departure.  What  my  feelings 
were  may  be  judged  by  the  following  extracts  from  an  irregular 
diary,  the  only  work  I  could  at  that  time  perform.  Writing  on 
thei  fifth  day  out,  I  find  myself  saying, 

"  More  miserable  days  than  these  past  few  have  been  to  me  it 
would  be  difficult  to  imagine.  And  why?  Because  of  sickness 
— sea-sickness.  And  what  z's  sea-sickness?  Can  any  one  tell  un- 
less they  have  experienced  it?  I  imagine  not;  nor,  perhaps,  can 
many  describe  it-  who  have  come  under  its  infliction.  I  know 
that  /  can  not  well  do  so.  I  have  felt  myself  swung,  tumbled, 
jammed,  knocked,  struck,  rocked,  turned,  skewed,  slewed,  warped, 
pitched  forward  and  backward,  tossed  up  and  down,  down  and 
up,  this  way  and  that  way,  round  and  round,  crossways  and  kit-a- 
cornered,  in  every  possible  manner.  On  the  ocean,  fresh  from 
civilized  life,  this  may  be  called  sea-sickness,  but  elsewhere  I  should 

•  For  particulars,  sec  Appendix,  No.  2. 


SEA-SICKNESS.  81 

term  it  next  to  a  torturous  death  !  No  more  terrible  experience 
can  a  man  have  oC  life  ujjon  the  broad  waters  than  his  lirst  few 
days  at  sea  when  thus  attaelied." 

Again,  at/ a  later  date  1  find,  "A  miserable  time  I  have  had  of 
it — ill  nearly  since  we  left;  and  now,  as  1  write,  my  head  is  like 
a  mountain  of  solid  rock.  Sea-sickness  is  really  too  bad,  especial 
ly  after  eating,  or  trying  to  eat,  a  good  dinner." 

An  ancient  philosopher,  on  reviewing  his  work  at  the  end  of 
each  day,  and  finding  no  special  gcwd  acquired  or  accomplished, 
used  to  write  down  in  his  diary,  ^'■PerdkU  diem''^ — I  have  lost  a 
day.  Alas  for  me,  I  had  to  repeat  that  in  ?n?/ journal  for  twelve 
days  I  It  is  true  that  several  times  I  recorded  the  temperature 
of  the  air  and  sea,  the  state  of  the  barometer,  and  made  various 
other  observations  whenever  the  weather  would  permit,  but,  nev- 
ertheless, so  powerless  did  I  feel  for  mental  or  bodily  work,  that 
at  the  end  of  each  day  I  felt  compelled  to  enter  down  as  a  sad 
but  truthful  fact,  "Perdidi  diein^  At  length  I  quite  recovered, 
and  on  the  9th  of  June,  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  port,  I  felt 
as  a  man  should  feel,  once  more  strong  and  capable  of  any  exer- 
tion. I  soon  began  to  cla.ssify  my  labors,  devoting  so  many  hours 
to  reading,  to  study,  to  writing,  exercise,  reflection,  and  sleep.  As 
my  buoyancy  of  spirits  arose,  and  I  watched  the  good  ship  bound- 
ing on  her  way  over  the  sparkling  waters,  every  thing  seemed 
full  of  life  and  animation.  The  Giver  of  all  good  was  supreme 
upon  the  blue  ocean  as  He  was  upon  the  shore.  Even  the  "Moth- 
er Gary's  chickens" — the  little  stormy  petrel — sportively  played 
about,  no  doubt  happy  in  their  way,  as  they  danced  up  and  down, 
slightly  dipping  the  tips  of  their  wings  in  the  uneven  waves,  and 
then  hieing  away  to  absent  mates,  that  they  might  be  brought  to 
greet  the  passing  ship. 

About  a  week  after  our  departure,  the  cry  was  raised,  There 
she  blows!  there  she  blows  I  and,  hurrying  on  deck,  I  for  the 
first  time  saw  at  a  distance  the  blowing  of  whales.  What  this 
"blowing"  was  like  may  be  described  by  asking  if  the  reader  has 
ever  seen  the  smoke  produced  by  the  firing  of  an  old-fashioned 
flint-lock?  If  so,  then  he  may  understand  the  appearance  of  the 
blow  of  a  whale — a  flash  in  the  pan,  and  all  is  over.  I  watched 
with  eager  interest  this  school  of  "  fin-backs,"  numbering  some 
twenty-five  or  thirty  whales — a  rare  sight  to  see  so  many  togeth- 
er. But  they  are  net  generally  attacked,  as  they  ere  difficult  to 
capture,  and  yield  but  little  oil. 


82  ARCTIC  UKSKAIUII  KXl-KDITION. 

A  day  or  two  after  this,  a  cry  of  Porpoises!  brought  all  hands 
on  deck;. and  hero  a  circunistunco  occurred,  which,  though  triv- 
ial in  itself,  well  serves  to  illustrate  the  unartificial  character  of 
one  of  the  ship's  comi)any,  the  William  Sterry  previously  men- 
tioned.    It  is  related  in  my  Journal  as  follows  : 

"Directly  the  porpoises  were  seen,  Sterry,  who  has  a  genial 
heart  and  strong  arm,  took  his  position  by  the  martingale,  or,  as 
a  Dane  would  call  it, '  Dolphin  Striker,'  which  is  under  the  bow- 
sprit. Harpoon  in  hand,  there  stood  Sterry,  prepared  for  a  whale 
or  aught  else,  ready  lor  his  blow.  Now  Skrrij  was  Sleiry — Sterry 
the  cooper — Sterry  the  ship's  carpenter — Sterry  the  ship's  black- 
smith— Sterry  the  millwright — Sterry  the  genius — the  immortal 
Sterry,  who  could  cat  more  pork  and  beans,  and  driiik  more  whis- 
ky out  of  a  two-quart  pantry  pitcher,  without  distinguishing  its 
smell  and  taste  from  pure  cold  water,  than  any  other  gentleman 
hailing  from  his  native  place  of  Groton.  There  indeed  was  Ster- 
ry, seemingly  hanging  between  the  heavens  and  the  sea,  his  feet 
dangling  on  a  tow  line,  and  his  hands  grasping  the  martingale 
back-rope.  While  I  stood  watching  him,  his  eyes  appeared  to 
roll  in  lire  as  they  pierced  the  blue  deep,  especially  so  when  he 
struck  his  head  against  the  'bobstay  chains'  in  turning  to  look  for 
the  contrast  between  the  porpoises  beneath  him  and  the  jibboom 
above.  And  here  I  may  add  that  Sterry  was  a  great  philosopher 
on  '  contrasts,'  pros  and  cons  ;  positives  and  negatives  were  with  him 
the  only  *  hanimals  that  have  souls  worth  saving.'  Well,  there 
stood  Sterry  preparing  to '  pucker,'  and  pitcJcer  he  did.  A  strange 
sound,  which  arrested  my  attention,  stole  out  of  his  mouth. 
Startled,  I  listened  attentively,  and  found  him  actually  xvhistling 
for  the  porpoises  !  But  no  porpoise  seemed  to  listen  to  his  charm. 
Often  did  he  poise  his  harpoon  as  his  intended  victim  glided  swift- 
ly through  the  waters  beneath  him,  but  as  often  did  be  have  to 
drop  it  again.  At  length  the  porpoises  retired,  and  Sterry  had 
to  give  up  his  game. 

"When  the  attempt  was  over, I  asked  Captain  B if  Ster- 

ry's  whistling  really  did  any  good,  and  the  reply  was,  as  I  ex- 
pected, '  No,  none  whatever.'  Sterry  at  the  time  was  within  hear- 
ing, and  immediately  said, '  I  guess-it-did-n't-do-much-of-any-harm- 
any-how-captain ;'  and  then,  turning  to  me,  added, '  Captain  Hall' 
(so  he  always  called  me), '  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Before  you  have 
been  up  North  a  great  while,  you'll  find  you've  got  to  whistle  as 
many  whistles  as  there  are  species  of  /animals,  birds,  and  fishes, 


MOVEMENTS  OF  TWO  WHALES.  88 

or  you  cnn  novor  get  along  up  there ;  you  cnii  never  cnpturo  such 
ibiiigrt  unless  you  do  whistle.' 

"  '  But,'  said  I, '  pleaKj  tell  me,  Mr.Sterry,  what  do  you  do  when 
you  see  a  tvhalef     'Oh,  then  wc  always  holler,^  was  his  quaint 

reply." 

1  have  mentioned  this  anecdote  a.s  cliaracteristic  of  the  man. 
lie  was  frequently  the  liib  and  soul  of  our  party,  and  often  1  shall 
iiave  occasion  to  allude  to  him. 

On  the  12th  of  Juno  we  passed  through  a  fleet  of  co('fishing 
.schooners  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland.  Hundreds  of  boats 
were  out,  with  a  nuui  in  each,  rapidly  appearing  and  disappearing 
to  our  view  as  the  fog,  which  was  very  thick,  lifted,  or  as  we 
neared  them. 

The  next  day  preparation  was  made,  and  a  close  look-out  kept 
for  icebergs,  the  thermometer  having  fallen  rapidly;  but  none  were 
seen.  Two  whales,  however,  caused  some  interest  in  our  vessel, 
and  especially  to  myself.  They  were  moving  leisurely  along  in 
the  same  direction  as  the  ship,  and  nearly  under  the  bows.  Every 
thirty  seconds  or  so  they  came  up  to  blow,  and  then  sank  beneath 
the  water,  leaving  only  a  few  feet  above  their  backs.  I  saw  them 
distinctly  for  several  minutes,  without  cessation,  thus  propelling 
their  vast  bulk  through  the  great  deep.  It  was  a  most  novel 
.sight  to  me  to  see  these  two  whales  simultaneously  gliding  side 
by  side,  and  even  with  the  ship.  Had  tliey  been  a  pair  of  naiads 
harnessed  to  the  car  of  Neptune,  they  could  not  have  been  more 
uniform  in  their  movements.  They  came  up  together,  "blowed" 
together,  and  descended  together. 

Meantime  two  boats  were  lowered,  with  a  chosen  crew,  to  give 
chase.  Swiftly  they  shot  toward  their  prey ;  but  the  whales  im- 
mediately altered  their  course,  the  boats  following  after  them. 
For  an  hour  was  the  chase  continued  ;  but,  in  spite  of  all  efforts, 
the  whales  escaped,  and  our  disappointed  comrades  returned. 

For  several  days  after  this,  nothing  of  note  occurred  worth  nar- 
rating, A  delicate  snowbird  lighted  on  the  rigging,  and,  accord- 
ing to  nautical  ideas,  was  the  augury  of  good  luck.  Other  ma- 
rine birds  and  porpoises  were  seen,  but  there  was  little  to  relieve 
the  monotony  of  our  life  except  when  the  winds  increased  to  a 
gale.  Then,  indeed,  I  found  a  change  that  in  one  respect  I  could 
admire.  To  myself,  who  had  never  before  been  upon  the  vast 
ocean,  it  was  truly  magnificent  to  behold  the  mighty  workings  of 
the  great  deep !     On  one  occasion,  which  I  well  remember,  the  sea 

C 


84  AUCTIO  UK8EAHCII  KXI'KDITION. 

appeared  in  "white  enpa,"  the  bounding  billowH  plftying  with  us 
all  day  in  funtftHtic  gainbols,  while  tijc  hhip  plunged  feurt'uUy 
down  into  n  deep  abyss;  then,  like  a  thing  of  life,  would  she  leap 
skyward,  as  a  mad  wave  struek  the  bow  in  all  its  fury,  burying  it 
beneath  the  sheet  of  spray,  which  Hew  far  and  wide  in  its  impo- 
tent wrath.  But  the  Oeorije  llmry  heeded  it  not.  Like  a  lion 
shaking  the  dews  of  heaven  from  liis  nume,  so  did  our  good  ship 
appear,  bathed  in  crystal  drops,  but  still  driving  on  and  on  maj(!8- 
tieally.  Rarely  did  I  enjoy  myself  more  than  when  those  storms 
encountered  us.  It  seemed  to  mo  as  if  no  one  could,  to  the  full- 
est extent,  appreciate  the  beauty,  the  grandeur,  the  greatness  of 
God's  creation  but  in  experiencing  a  storm  at  sea.  Watching  it 
OS  1  did,  lirndy  wedged  against  the  miust,  with  my  arm  encircling 
a  cluster  of  ropes,  1  could  keep  my  place,  notwithstanding  the 
ve.s.sel  now  and  then  would  be  on  her  beam-ends,  or  some  fearful 
wave,  overleaping  i\w  bulwarks,  seek  to  take  mc  away.  And  as 
I  stood  th«rp,  I  could  study  Nature  and  Nature's  God.  As  far 
as  the  eye  could  carry  me,  say  for  seven  miles  in  every  direction, 
making  an  area  of  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles,  the 
ocean  was  dancing  as  if  wild  with  joy.  One  moment  it  would 
seem  as  if  a  universal  eftbrt  was  being  made  by  the  waters  to 
kiss  the  clouds  ;  in  the  next,  diving  low,  low  down,  as  if  to  hide 
their  laugh  over  the  daring  deed ;  then,  as  if  to  signify  their  un- 
willingness of  my  being  so  cool  a  spectator,  the  ship  would  be 
borne  high  up  in  their  snowy  arms,  and  all  at  once  plunged  quick- 
ly down  into  the  bosom  of  the  sea,  covering  myself  and  the  decks 
with  tons  of  briny  water. 

On  the  19th  of  June  we  were  in  lat.  51°  18'  N.,  long.  49°  12'  W., 
and  here  I  give  a  few  extracts  from  my  diary  to  show  my  ideas 
and  feelings  at  the  time. 

"  This  day  saw  several  of  the  largest  size  whales,  Balama  Phy- 
salts,  called  '  sulphur-bottoms'  by  the  whalers.  It  is  indeed  the 
king  of  fishes,  though  this  term  applies  to  the  whale  family  in  gen- 
eral ;  but,  being  a  very  difficult  kind  to  capture,  whalers  seldom 
ever  venture  in  their  chase.  Less  quiet  and  tranquil  in  its  move- 
ments than  the  Mysticetus,  or  Greenland  whale,  it  becomes  furi- 
ous when  wounded,  and  renders  an  approach  to  it  dangerous. 
Its  flight,  when  struck  by  the  harpoon,  is  exceedingly  rapid,  and 
is  so  long  sustained  that  it  i;^  very  difficult — generally  imjjossible 
— to  tire  it  out.  The  game  is  not  worth  the  cost  and  risk,  for  the 
blubber  and  bone  of  the  Physalis  are  indifferent  in  quality  and 


• 


FIH8T  ICEBKUO.  86 

(lunntity.  I  lind  a  line  view  of  tlieso  inonstcrM  of  tlio  deep,  nn  they 
cnmo  within  pistol-whot  of  the  vchhcI.  It  wns  a  gnuid  Hight  to  ine 
to  SCO  n  flrtlj  (irt  a  whiilo  a  fish?)  100  I'm't  h)iig  propelling  itself 
quietly  forward  through  tho  water  ivn  though  it  wore  but  an  hum- 
bio  mountain  trout. 

"June  20th,  hit.  53°  »',  long.  51°  16'.  A  good  run,  with  a  fair 
breeze  since  yesterday.  Approaching  tho  north  axis  of  tho  earth  I 
Ay,  nearing  tho  goal  of  my  fondest  wishes.  Every  thing  relating 
to  tho  arctic  zone  is  deeply  interesting  to  me.  1  love  the  snows, 
the  ices,  icebergs,  the  fauna,  and  tho  flora  of  the  North  I  I  love 
tho  circling  sun,  the  long  (hiy,  l/ie  arctic  night,  when  the  aoid  can 
commune  wiOi  Gml  in  mknt  and  reverential  awe  1  I  am  on  a  mis- 
sion of  love.  I  feel  to  bo  in  the  performance  of  a  duty  I  owe  to 
mankind — myself —God !  Thus  feeling,  I  am  strong  at  heart,  fall 
of  faith,  ready  to  do  or  die  in  the  cause  I  have  espoused. 

**  This  evening  tho  sun  sot  about  ten  minutes  to  nine  o'clock, 
but  it  was  quite  light  at  ten  o'elock. 

"  Thitrsdui/,  June  21.s<.  This  morning,  a  lew  minutes  after  eight 
o'clock,  I  wont  upon  deck  to  take  my  usual  exercise.  I  noticed 
or  felt  a  perceptible  change  in  the  temperature  of  the  air.  I  look- 
ed at  the  thermomotor  and  saw  that  it  was  falling.  T  tried  the 
sea- water,  and  found  that  much  colder  also,  being  only  two  de- 
grees above  freezing  point.     I  immediately  concluded  that  we 

were  near  icebergs,  and  mentioned  it  to  Captain  B ,  also  to 

Sterry ;  but,  though  tho  latter  had  been  on  several  voyages  to  the 
arctic  regions,  and  had  spent  four  winters  there,  ho  doubted  my 
ideas  about  it,  especially  when  I  ventured  to  predict  we  should 
see  them  within  three  hours.  lie  said  '  we  should  not,'  and  even 
laid  a  wager  upon  it;  but  at  twelve  o'clock  the  icebergs  were 
really  seen,  and  many  of  the  old  salts  on  board  at  once  set  me 
down  as  well  up  in  arctic  knowledge. 

'^Directly  tho  announcement  was  made  I  went  on  deck,  and 
there,  far  away  to  the  west,  had  my  first  view  of  an  iceberg.  By 
the  aid  of  a  good  glass,  presented  by  M'Allistor  &  Brothers, 
of  Philaaelphia,  the  grandeur  of  this  icy  mountain  of  the  deep 
was  brought  before  me.  Brief,  however,  was  the  glance  I  had. 
The  motion  of  the  vessel  was  such  that  I  could  not  at  first  keep 
the  iceberg  within  the  field  of  the  glass.  But  perhaps  it  was  well 
I  did  not  see  all  its  splendor  and  magnificence  at  once.  For  years 
I  had  longed  to  sec  an  iceberg,  and,  even  in  the  distant  view  I 
then  had,  all  my  conceptions  of  its  grandeur  were  more  than  real- 


36  ARCTIC  RESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

ized.  When  first  seen  it  was  perhaps  ten  miles  off,  and  appeared 
about  130  feet  high,  judging  from  a  calculation  made.  As,  to- 
ward evening,  we  approached,  it  appeared  a  mountain  of  alabaster 
resting  calmly  upon  the  bosom  of  the  dark  blue  sea.  Behind  it 
was  the  setting  sun  just  dipping  its  nether  limb  in  the  waters, 
while  its  upper  reached  some  thick,  heavy  clouds  extending  half 
around  the  horizon,  bathing  them  in  a  flood  of  crimson  !  Close 
by,  and  peering  out  from  a  break  in  the  sky,  were  Venus  and 
the  new  moon,  making  a  scene  of  sublimity  and  beauty  fit  for 
a  poet's  pen  or  the  pencil  of  an  artist.  Not  before  ten  o'clock 
P.M.  were  we  alongside  this  magnificent  pile  of  ice,  and  then,  as 
it  were,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  shaking  hands  with  the  first  ice- 
berg I  had  ever  seen.  It  is  said  that  lovers  like  darkness  better 
than  light,  and  the  hour  named  would  seem  to  indicate  that  dark- 
ness was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep  when  1  and  my  'idol'  met. 
But  not  so ;  light  abounded :  not  that  of  noonday,  but  that 
of  early  eve,  when  the  sun  had  withdrawn  his  glowing  face. 
Then  it  was  we  met.  Iceberg  was  silent;  I  too  was  silent.  I 
stood  in  the  presence  of  God's  work !  Its  fashioning  was  that  of 
the  Great  Architect !  He  who  hath  builded  such  monuments,  and 
cast  them  forth  upon  the  waters  of  the  sea,  is  God,  and  there  can 
be  none  other!" 

After  this,  numerous  icebergs  were  seen,  one  of  which  we  pass- 
ed within  a  stone's  throw.  At  a  distance  it  had  appeared. of  a 
pyramidal  form,  but  on  coming  close  its  outline  whollv  changed. 
This  I  find  to  be  a  characteristic  of  most  all  views — of  none  more 
strikingly  so  than  that  of  an  iceberg.  "  Distance  lends  enchant- 
ment to  the  view,"  so  goes  the  old  saw,  and,  to  a  certain  extent, 
this  is  true. 

But,  on  another  occasion,  I  had  a  more  minute  inspection  of  one 
of  these  icy  monsters  of  the  deep.  A  large  solitary  berg  at  one 
time  was  not  far  from  us,  and,  as  the  weather  permitted,  a  boat 
was  sent  in  charge  of  the  mate  that  I  might  have  the  opportunity 
of  examining  it. 

On  arriving  near,  it  was  found  of  irregular  form  at  tlie  base, 
with  several  "  tongues"  or  spreading  pieces  below  the  water. 
With  some  difiiculty  I  got  on  to  it  at  a  sloping  part,  and  began 
to  mount  toward  the  summit.  Several  pinnacles,  ravines,  gorges, 
and  deep  cavities  were  displayed  as  I  ascended ;  but  decay  was 
already  making  rapid  progress,  and  evidently  not  long  would 
elapse  before  the  whole  mass  must  fall  to  pieces.     I  succeeded. 


ASCENT  OF  AN  ICEBERG. 


87 


however,  in  reaching  the  top  without  danger,  using  a  boat-hook 
as  a  sort  of  alpenstock  to  aid  me. 


ASOKNT  OF  AN  IGEUERO. 


Here  resting  a  while,  and,  drinking  in  the  ocean  scene  around, 
with  our  ship  on  the  blue  waters  awaiting  us,  I  then  descended. 

On  the  way  down  I  unfortunately  trod  on  the  rusty  part  of  the 
boat-hook,  and,  having  my  boots  off  for  surer  footing,  received 
a  rather  bad  wound,  which  confined  ne  to  a  couch  for  some 
days. 

Our  progress  toward  Greenland  was  so  tantalizingly  slow,  ow- 
ing to  calms  and  head  winds,  that  a  fourth  Sunday  passed  over 
us  when  still  at  a  considerable  distance  from  Ilolsteinborg,  Green- 
land, the  port  of  rendezvous  of  the  Oeorge  Henry  and  Rescue. 

Of  these  Sundays  at  sea,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  speak  in  favor- 
able terms  as  to  their  observance  on  board.  The  crew  exhibited 
most  excellent  demeanor;  and  as  the  Oeorcje Henry  had  a  small  but 
carefully-selected  library  in  the  cabin,  furnished  by  the  house  of 
Williams  &  Haven  (owners  of  the  vessel),  good  books  were  occa- 
sionally distributed  by  the  captain  among  officers  and  men,  much 
to  their  satisfaction,  and,  no  doubt,  advantage.  ' 

Again  referring  to  my  Journal : 

"June  26th,  at  midnight,  I  witnessed  a  scene  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. I  found  the  whole  north  illuminated — not  by  the  aurora 
borealis — but  by  reflection  of  the  sun's  rays.  The  northern  sky 
presented  the  appearance  of  a  sunset  perhaps  twenty  minutes 
over.    I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes  and  my  position  as  to 


38  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

the  points  of  the  compass  for  some  time.  It  did  not  seem  that 
the  morning  sun  could  thus  early  be  approaching  in  the  east,  nor 
did  it  seem  that  the  brightening  before  me  was  eithei-  east  or  west. 
But  I  soon  found  the  cause  that  so  attracted  my  attention  was 
the  northern  sun  !  I  was  indeed  delighted  ;  for,  though  familiar 
with  the  theory  of  our  planetary  system,  yet  I  had  little  thought 
of  the  beauty  and  variety  of  sun  scenes  presented  to  the  view  of 
man  between  the  latitudes  of  Cincinnati  and  that  of  58^°,  where 
we  then  were, 

"Early  in  the  morning  the  captain  came  to  my  berth  and  call- 
ed me,  saying  that  a  sail  was  in  sight,  and  that  he  was  holding  up 
for  her.  I  was  on  deck  in  an  instant  with  spy-glass  in  hand.  All 
the  men  were  on  the  alert,  and  every  eye  strained  to  discover 
what  vessel  it  was.  Our  own  colors  were  soon  run  up,  and  they 
were  answered  by  the  unknown  showing  the  Danish  flag.  This 
immediately  enlightened  us,  and  we  at  once  knew  that  the  stran- 
ger was  T)ne  of  the  government  vessels  of  Denmark  annually  vis- 
iting Greenland.  We  laid-to  for  her,  and,  when  she  came  near, 
ascertained  her  name  to  be  the  Mariane,  from  Copenhagen,  bound 
to  Disco.  Our  captain  then  sang  out, '  What's  your  longitude  ?' 
Whereupon  the  lusty  old  Dane  hung  over  the  brig's  side  a  pon- 
derous ebony  board,  ujion  which  was  chalked  in  white  '49°  20'.' 
Thus  holding  '.t  a  moment,  we  saw  him  turn  his  head  broadside 
to  us,  and  encircle  his  massive  ear  by  his  trumpet-shaped  hand, 
as  if  to  say,  'Now  let  us  have  yours.'  In  stentorian  voice,  the 
answer  was  '53°  30'.'  If  a  forty-pounder  had  been  shot  from 
th^  George  Henry,  the  old  Scandinavian  commander  could  not 
have  jumped  higher  than  on  this  announcement.  Then  giving 
our  ship  to  the  glorious  breeze  that  was  dancing  to  do  us  service, 
away  -she  bounded  on  her  course.  As  long  as  we  could  see  the 
Man'ane  of  Copenhagen  —  a  vessel  bearing  the  royal  V.  R,, 
wreathed  by  laurel  branches,  and  crested  by  the  imperial  crown 
— she  was  still  following  in  our  wake." 

It  may  be  as  well  here  to  mention  that  this  Mariave  was  the 
identical  vessel  in 'which  Dr.  Kane  and  his  party,  after  their  mem- 
orable escape  on  the  second  Grinnell  Expedition,  took  passage 
from  Upernavik,  intending  to  proceed  home  in  her  via  England. 
But,  on  touching  at  Goodhavn,  Captain  Ilartstene,  in  the  Relief 
Squadron,  arrived  in  time  to  receive  them,  and  thus  prevented  a 
longer  voyage  in  the  Danish  brig, 

^''Friday,  June  29th.  During  the  night  a  smart  breeze  sprung  up 


KUD-LA-GO.  89 

from  the  N.N.  W.,  which  now  continues,  doing  us  much  service  in 
putting  us  to  the  north,  Tliere  is  rain,  and  it  is  cbilly  ;  but  what 
of  this  to  a  determined  soul?  Oh,  to  be  strong  from  the  circum- 
stances ;  to  be  excited  by  tue  powers  of  the  mind ;  to  be  inspired, 
as  it  were,  by  the  divine  Spirit,  that  1  may  continue  to  the  end 
of  life  in  my  studies  of  Nature  and  her  laws !  May  I  be  strong 
in  the  day  of  battle ;  may  I  not  forget  that  I  am  a  child  of  Deity 
— a  humble  instrument  created  for  work ! 

'■''Saturday,  June  SOlh.  In  a  conversation  with  Captain  B 

and  his  first  officer,  Mr.  Rogers,  this  morning,  I  learned  their  views 
of  the  scurvy.  They  both  understand  the  cause,  the  nature  of 
it,  and  its  cure.  The  former  said  he  bad  gained  his  knowledge 
from  dearly  acquired  experience.  This  is  truly  a  fact,  for  in 
1855,  while  in  command  of  the  Gcorgiana,  on  a  whaling  voyage, 
he  lost  thirteen  of  his  men  by  scurvy.  But,  said  he,  'I  am  not 
afraid  of  losing  any  more  men  by  scurvy  while  I  have  command 
over  them.  Whenever  there  are  appearances  of  it  aboard,  I  will 
have  every  pork  and  beef  barrel — salt  provision  of  every  kind — 
headed  up  at  once,  and  every  man  shall  live  upon  bread  and  fresh 
provision,  such  as  wliale,  walrus,  seal,  deer,  bear,  ptarmigan,  duck, 
etc.,  etc,' " 

Mr.  Rogers  stated  that  in  1856  he  went  on  a  whaling  voyage  to 
the  South  Sea,  and  that  during  the  year  scurvy  broke  out  among 
the  crew.  Nine  were  seriously  affected,  and  one  died  of  it,  all 
from  eating  salt  provisions.  Said  he,  "  Those  who  had  it  seemed 
determined  to  die,  for,  against  all  reasoning  and  advice,  they  would 
have  salt  pork  in  preference  to  fresh  game,  such  as  ducks,  eggs, 
etc.,  which  they  had  in  abundance." 

It  may  be  here  stated  as  a  fact  that  the  person  who  has  the 
scurvy  desires  just  that  kind  of  food  which  he  sliould  not  have, 
and,  as  a  general  rule,  the  same  person  affected  will  go  almost  any 
length  to  obtain  it,  notwithstanding  he  is  well  aware  that  death 
must  follow  in  this  contumacious  course. 

I  now  approach  a  subject  that,  oven  at  this  present  time,  in 
dwelling  upon  it,  affects  me  greatly.  I  allude  to  the  death  of 
Kudlago,  which  occurred  on  Sunday  morning,  the  1st  of  July. 
Hitherto  I  have  said  but  little  concerning  him,  owing  to  an  inten- 
tion of  confining  my  remarks  to  what  I  should  have  to  narrate 
here. 

I  have  mentioned  in  the  Introduction  that  he  had  been  brought 
to  the  United  States  in  the  previous  fall,  and  when  I  first  saw  him 


40  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

he  appeared  to  be,  what  I  always  found  him,  a  remarkably  mod- 
est and  unassuming  man.  From  what  I  was  then  informed,  he 
was  quick  to  learn,  and  always  endeavored  to  do  as  other  people 
did.  He  never  expressed  surprise  at  any  thing.  lie  looked  upon 
the  works  of  civilization  with  interest,  but  never  with  wonder. 
The  first  time  he  saw  a  locomotive  no  words  escaped  his  lips,  nor 
did  he  exhibit  any  signs  but  what  were  consistent  with  the  idea 
of  his  having  seen  the  same  a  thousand  times  before.  One  day, 
while  riding  in  the  cars  toward  New  York,  a  boy  passed  through 
distributing  circulars,  giving  one  to  Kudlago.  He  took  it,  look- 
ing attentively  to  see  what  others  might  do,  and  then,  as  they  r''.id, 
so,  to  all  appearance,  did  he !  Others  held  the  circulars  up  before 
them  and  read.  Kudlago  held  his  up  before  his  eyes  and  a})- 
pearcd  to  read.  Though  he  could  not  read  a  word,  yet  he  looked 
learned.  Solomon  may  have  been  wiser,  but  surely  not  sharper 
than  Kudlago. 


KLll-I.A(iU. 


On  securing  his  services  as  my  interpreter,  I  was  in  hopes  that 
he  would  long  remain  with  me ;  but,  though  apparently  in  good 
healtli,  on  leaving  New  London,  J;he  fogs  we  encountered  when 
crossing  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland  gave  him  a  severe  cold,  and, 
though  every  attention  was  paid  to  him,  he  was  evidently  failing 
very  fast.  One  day  we  shot  an  eider-duck,  and  lowered  a  boat 
to  get  it,  purposely  that  Kudlago  might  have  a  generous  meal 
in  his  accustomed  way.  The  bird  was  skinned  and  carried  to  the 
poor  sick  Esquimaux,  who  dissected  it  at  once,  eating  only  the 
heart  and  liver,  both  raw.     lie  seemed  to  relish  it  greatly,  but 


BURIAL  AT  SEA.  41 

could  eat  no  more.  As  he  expressed  a  desire  to  be  on  deck,  a 
tent  was  erected  there,  that  ho  might  enjoy  the  sunshine  and 
the  air.  But  nothing  availed  to  suvc  him.  The  following  day 
he  was  again  taken  below,  and  never  again  left  his  berth  alive. 
He  died  about  h-^lf  past  four  on  Sunday  morning.  His  hist  words 
were,  "  Teik-ko  st-ko?  teik-ko  se-ko?" — Do  you  see  ice?  do  you 
,see  ice?  His  prayer  was  that  he  might  arrive  home,  and  once 
more  look  upon  his  native  land — its  mountains,  its  snows,  its  ice 
— and  upon  his  wife  and  his  little  ones;  he  would  then  usk  no 
more  of  earth.  We  had  sighted  the  Labrador  coast  on  our  way, 
and  after  that  we  sailed  several  days  without  seeing  ice.  Kud- 
lago  kept  incessantly  asking  if  we  saw  the  ice,  thinking,  if  so,  we 
must  be  near  to  his  home  ;  hut,  poor  fellow,  he  was  still  far  away 
when  his  final  moments  came.  He  died  in  lat.  63°  N.,  when  near 
the  coast  of  Greenland,  and  about  300  miles  from  his  native 
place. 

Suitable  preparations  were  soon  made  for  his  burial  in  the  sea, 
and  as  I  had  always  thought  a  "  burial  at  sea"  must  be  a  scene  of 
arreat  interest,  the  one  I  now  witnessed  for  the  first  time  most 
strongly  impressed  itself  upon  me.  Never  did  I  participate  more 
devoutly  in  what  then  seemed  to  me  the  most  solemn  scene  of  my 
life.  There  before  us  was  the  "sheeted  dead,"  lying  amidships 
on  the  gangway  board,  all  in  readiness  for  burial.  The  whole 
ship's  company,  save  a  solitary  man  at  the  wheel,  had  assembled 
in  sorrowful  silence  around  our  departed  friend,  to  pay  the  last 

respect  we  could  to  him.     By  the  request  of  Captain  B , 

who  was  bound  by  strong  ties  of  friendship  to  Kudlago,  I  had 
consented  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  services.  I  therefore  pro- 
ceeded to  make  such  remarks  as  were  deemed  proper  for  the  oc- 
casion. These  were  succeeded  by  my  reading  portions  of  appro- 
priate exhortations  from  the  "  ^Masonic  ^Fanual,"  after  which  I 
read  a  prayer  from  the  same  excellent  work.  In  this  all  seemed 
deeply,  solemnly  interested. 

During  these  services  the  breezes  of  heaven  were  wafting  us  on 
— silently,  yet  speedily  to  the  north.  At  a  given  signal  from  the 
captain,  who  was  standing  on  my  right,  the  man  at  the  helm  luff- 
ed the  ship  into  the  wind  and  deadened  her  headway.  William 
Sterry  and  Robert  Smith  now  stepped  to  the  gangway,  and  hold- 
ing firmly  the  plank  on  which  was  the  shrouded  dead — a  short 
pause,  and  down  sank  the  mortal  part  of  Kudlago,  the  noble  Es- 
quimaux, into  the  deep  grave  —  the  abyss  of  the  ocean!     Oh 


42 


AKCTIC  KESEAUCII  EXl'EDITlUN. 


what  a  scene !  llow  solemn  in  its  grandeur  and  its  surround- 
ings! Tlie  Sabbath  morning;  a  cloudless  sky;  the  sun  shining 
in  all  its  glory;  the  cold,  dark  blue  ocean,  its  heaving  bosom 
whitened  over,  here  and  there,  with  high  pinnacled  bergs;  the 


/:,-;: -._i 


.w^,..   lis..,-,   1^. 


IIUKIAL  OP   KVDLAQO. 


lofty  peaks  of  "  Greenland's  icy  mountains"  peering  down  from  a 
distance  in  the  east — these  were  some  of  the  impressive  features 
in  the  scene  attending  the  burial  of  Kudlago  at  sea. 

An  hour  after  the  George  Henry  had  been  given  to  the  Icadjjig 


KUD-LA-GO'S  MONUMENT. 


48 


wind,  I  turned  my  eyes  back  to  the  ocean  grave  of  Kndlago — a 

snow-white  monument  of 
mountain  size,  and  of  God\s 
uwnfas/iio)iiHg,  was  over  it  f 
The  \t  event  of  any 
importa  to  record  was 
the  celebr.aion  of  our  glori- 
ous Fourth  of  J  l'ly.  At 
that  time  we  were  in  Da- 
vis's Straits,  near  a  i)hicc 
called  8^ikkerlo2>pei},  in 
Greenland,  under  all  sail 
for  llolsteinborg,  and  we 
had  been  in  great  ho{)es  to 
have  arrived  during  the 
day,  but  contrary  winds 
and  calms  had  prevented 
us.  As  it  was,  we  did  the 
best  we  could,  and  tried 
to  prove  ourselves,  as  we 
knew  all  of  us  to  be,  true 
sons  of  our  country. 

The  day,  commencing  at 
the  turn  of  the  midnight 
hour,  was  ushered  in  by  cheers  and  firing  of  guns.  Pistols,  guns, 
blunderbusses,  were  in  readiness  for  the  word  that  should  make 
the  mountains  of  old  Greenland  echo  back  our  thunderings  for 

FRKEDOM  AND  OUR  NATIVE  LAND  I 

As  the  hour  approached,  several  of  us  were  stationed  at  vari- 
ous places,  ready  to  discharge  the  weapons  in  our  hands  at  com- 
mand. Twelve  o'clock  came,  and  the  Fourth  of  July,  1860,  was 
upon  us.  "  One !  two ! !  three ! ! !  Fire ! ! ! !"  was  the  signal ;  and 
never  did  the  Oeorge  Henry  quiver  more  under  the  peal  of  de(>p- 
throated  guns,  in  a  noble  cause,  than  on  that  occasion.  After 
this  the  jubilee  was  continued  by  firing,  and  cheers  on  cheers. 
The  "national  colors  were  run  up  (for  it  was  now  broad  daylight) 
and  saluted.  At  noon  another  salute  was  given,  and  again  twelve 
hours  afterward,  when  the  next  midnight  proclaimed  that  anoth- 
er anniversary  of  our  glorious  American  freedom  had  again  de- 
parted. 

But  we  had  other  causes  of  rejoicing  on  this  especial  day.     At 


KLD-LA-UO'B   MONL'ME.NT. 


44  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

five  in  the  evening  we  had  arrived  at  a  point  on  the  const  of 
Greenland  whieli  was  very  mueh  like  the  neighborhood  ol'IIol- 
steinborg.  The  bold  mountain  peaks  were  so  thiekly  enveloped 
in  clouds  that  it  was  impossible  to  determine  the  exact  locality. 
The  sea  also  was  covered  with  fog;  hence  it  was  wisely  determ- 
ined to  run  ofi'the  land  for  the  night  and  lie-to.  This  was  done, 
and  as  we  were  upon  good  codfish  banks,  lines  were  put  over  to 
catch  some.  We  were  very  successful.  Before  twelve  o'clock 
three  lines  had  drawn  in  full  800  lbs.  of  halibut  and  codfish,  the 
latter  largely  predominating.  I  myself  caught  four  cod  weighing 
in  all  100  lbs.  One  halibut  weiglied  no  less  than  125  lbs.,  and 
two  others  fifty  pounds  each  I  I  was  astonished  at  the  sight  of 
every  cod  drawn  in.  Such  gormandizers  had  they  been — preying 
upon  the  smaller  ones  of  their  kind — that  their  stomachs  were 
distended  to  the  utmost  limit  of  expansion. 

The  next  day,  July  5th,  we  once  more  stood  in  toward  the  land, 
but  it  still  continued  foggy,  and  we  were  nnable  to  get  near  till 
about  4  P.M.,  having  just  before  again  sighted  the  Marianc.     At 
that  time  two  Esquimaux  were  seen  coming  at  full  speed  toward  us. 
In  a  few  moments  more  they  were  alongside,  and  hoisted — kyacks 
and  all  —  into  the   shi]).      Their   names  were  "Sampson"  and 
•'Ephraim,"  each  5  feet  0^  inches  in  height,  with  small  hands,  small 
feet,  and  pleasing  features,  except  that  both  had  some  of  their 
front  teeth  gone.     These  men  had  brought  an  abundance  oS  sal- 
mon, eaplins,  sea-birds,  etc.,  and  eagerly  began  to  trade  with  us. 
Speedily  we  were  on  the  most  friendly  terms,  and,  as  they  were 
retained  to  pilot  us  in,  merry-making  was  the  order  of  the  day. 
On  entering  the  cabin  to  supper  their  conduct  was  mo.st  orderly, 
and  when  it  was  over  they  said,  in  good  American,  "  Thank  you." 
That  night  I  had  not  long  retired  to  rest  before  the  cajitain 
came  and  told  me  it  was  calm,  and  a  good  opportunity  for  halibut 
and  codfish.     I  was  quickly  dressed  and  on  deck  with  line  in 
hand.     Two  or  three  minutes  more,  and  a  halibut  weighing  225 
lbs.  was  fast  to  my  line,  fifty  fathoms  deep,  and  in  another  two 
minutes  I  had  the  fish  up  in  the  sun's  rays  with  harpoon  stuck 
through  him.     In  one  hour  a  ton  weight  of  codfish  and  halibut 
was  taken  by  the  use  of  only  three  lines.     Sometimes,  as  I  was 
informed,  halibut  have  been  caught  weighing  500  lbs.  each,  and 
measuring  eight  feet  in  length.     The  Esquimaux  in  Greenland 
use  the  transparent  membrane  of  the  stomach  of  this  fish  instead 
of  plates  of  glass. 


ESQUIMAUX  PILOTS.  45 

Dmiiig  tlio  niglit  our  two  Aiithful  Esquimaux  kept  on  deck, 
wateliiiig  the  almost  obscured  mountains,  that  they  might  guide 
us  aright.  Their  clotliing  was  quite  wet  from  exposure  to  the 
hi<^h  soils  that  prevailed  when  they  came  to  us,  but  they  sat  them- 
selves down  on  deck,  and  there  watched,  couglied,  and  quivered. 
I  tliought,  at  the  time,  it  were  better  if  they  could  be  j)revailcd 
upon  to  adopt  the  custom  of  our  seamen — always  on  the  move 
wnen  out  in  the  open  air;  but  I  understood  they  look  upon  our 
walking  to  and  fro  as  foolishness — a  great  amount  of  hard  work, 
wilii  much  expenditure  of  tunned  skins  (shoe-leather)  and  muscle 
all  for  naught ! 

For  about  an  hour,  one  of  the  Esquimaux  made  his  way  up 
into  a  whale-boat  and  went  to  sloop.  On  waking,  he  seemed  quite 
thankful  for  the  luxury  of  sleeping,  though  in  the  open  air,  his 
bed,  for  several  days  past,  having  been  on  the  soft  side  of  a  boat, 
on  the  rocks  of  an  island  forty  miles  distant  from  llolsteiuborg. 
He  and  his  companion  had  been  there  engaged  in  hunting  ducks, 
etc.,  when  they  discovered  the  (Jcoryc  Ilmri/.  They  were  very  rag- 
ged, and  Captain  B presented  each  with  some  new  garments, 

which  made  them  truly  thankful.  Some  of  the  articles  were  new 
pants,  and  each  man  immediately  put  on  a  pair.  Sampson's  was 
a  fair  fit — that  is  to  say,  they  were  tight  as  a  drum  upon  him ;  but 
Ephraim's !  the  waist  would  not  meet  within  six  inches.  This, 
however,  was  all  the  same  to  him.  lie  drew  a  long — very  long 
breath ;  so  long,  indeed,  that  I  could  not  but  think  him  like  a 
whale,  breathing  once  in  ton  minutes,  or,  if  occasion  required  it, 
once  in  an  hour !  Then,  following  this,  Ephraim  ceased  for  a 
moment  to  breathe  at  all,  while  he  nimbly  plied  his  fingers,  and 
rapidly  filled  each  button-hole  with  its  respective  button.  Pants 
were  now  on  and  completely  adjusted — buttoned!  but  as  every 
living  thing  must  have  air  or  die,  and  as  whales,  when  coming 
up  to  breathe,  make  the  regions  round  about  ring  with  the  force 
with  which  they  respire  and  inspire,  so  even  an  Esquimaux  has 
to  take  in  fresh  draughts  of  oxygen,  or  he  ceases  to  exist.  Now 
Ephraim  had,  in  buttoning  his  pants,  suspended  respira^on  for 
some  longer  time  than  nature  was  capable  of  sustaining.  Ac- 
cordingly, nature  resumed  her  functions,  and,  in  the  act  of  giving 
a  full  respiration,  Ephraim's  pants  burst,  the  buttons  flying  all  over 
the  deck  I  Civilization  buttons  and  New  London-made  pants  could 
not  stand  against  the  sudden  distention  of  an  Esquimaux's  bow- 
els after  being  once  so  unnaturally  contracted.     Here  the  saying 


40  AUCTIC  RESKAncII  EXPEDITION. 

of  old  Horace  would  bo  useful:  Kuturam  expdks  fiirca  tavicn  us- 
que recamt — You  may  turn  Naturo  out  of  doors  with  violence, 
but  she  will  return ;  and  he  might  have  continued — though  the 
violence  be  an  Ea([uiinaux's  bowels  much  contracted  by  a  pair  of 
New  London-maile  pants  of  the  nineteenth  century  I 

1  will  now  again  quote  from  my  Journal; 

^^  iSitlunhi;/,  Jiihj  1th,  After  dancing  around  the  harbor  of  IIol- 
ateinborg  for  many  hours,  we  have  at  length  made  anchor  within  it. 

"  During  the  last  two  or  three  days  a  fog  of  remarkable  character 
has  troubled  us  in  making  harbor.  All  at  once  the  whole  heav- 
ens would  be  clear  and  bright;  in  five  minutes  a  thick  fog  would 
encircle  us  all  around,  closing  from  our  view  sunlight,  the  long 
ridge  of  Greenland  mountains,  the  well-defined  sea  horizon,  isl- 
ands, and  icebergs. 

"Before  coming  to  the  North,  I  thought  I  was  prepared  to  give 
a  fair  statement  of  the  true  theory  of  fogs.  I  now  am  satisfied 
that  no  one  can  give  a  satisfactory  reason  for  the  appearance  and 
sudden  disappearance — their  reap{)carance  and  final  dispersion,  as 
I  have  witnessed  them  during  the  last  four  days. 

"At  five  o'clock  this  morning  a  Danish  pilot  came  on  board,  who 
understood  fully  his  business,  which  is  more  than  I  can  say  of  the 
two  Esquimaux,  Sampson  and  Ephraim.  Though  they  have 
shown  great  faithfulness,  far  beyond  that  of  white  men  (as  a  gen- 
eral statement),  yet  I  can  not  award  them  great  praise  in  navi- 
gating large  ships  in  their  own  and  neighboring  waters. 

"Last  night  was  a  happy  night  for  me.  No  sunset.  The  slow 
descending  sun,  just  dipping  its  edge  in  the  Northern  Sea,  then 
hesitating  in  its  course,  then  slowly  mounting  again  into  high 
heaven,  gladdening  my  whole  soul  near  to  uncontrollable  joy ! 

"The  incidents  connected  are  worthy  to  be  recorded.  The 
evening  (at  least  after  ten  o'clock)  was  fine ;  sky  as  clear  as  a 
bell ;  the  air  cool  and  invigorating. 

"I  found,  by  a  hasty  calculation,  that  we  had  made  the  north- 
ing which  would  allow  us  to  see  the  sun  continually  when  clear 
weath^;  that  the  sun  would  gladden  our  sight  day  after  day 
without  setting.  I  announced  to  all  hands  that  the  sun  would 
not  go  down  that  night;  that  on  such  a  moment  it  would  com- 
mence to  return — to  rise  again.  This  was  a  novelty  to  many  of 
the  ship's  crew.  I  then  made  my  calculations  carefully  as  to 
time — the  hour,  minute,  and  second  when  the  sun  would  arrive  at 
its  lowest  meridian.     This  was  necessary,  that  I  might  determine, 


MIDNIGHT  SUN.      .  47 

as  well  as  the  circumatances  would  admit,  tho  variation  of  the 

needle. 

"Twelve  o'clock,  low  meridian,  midnijj;ht — I  use  this  in  distinc- 
tion of  high  meridian,  mitlihiy — was  approiiching.  Every  man, 
captain,  and  tlie  ship's  ollicers  and  crew,  save  the  portion  of  watch 
off  duty  below  and  asleep,  stood  around  mo  awaiting  the  anxious 
moment  when  the  sun  would  cease  its  downward  and  commence 
its  upward  course. 

"  The  Gcor<jt  Il^^^ry  waa  sweeping  gently  along,  beating  up  north- 
erly and  easterly  against  the  wind.  From  the  larboard  side  we 
peered  out  upon  the  glorious  scene.  With  my  azimuth  compass 
resting  upon  the  bulwarks,  my  eye  every  other  moment  on  it  and 
tho  watch  (the  latter  had  just  been  placed  in  correspondence  with 
the  ship's  chroni)ineter  below),  I  at  length  announced  the  wished- 
for  moment — twelve  o'clock.  Cheer — cheer  upon  cheer  followed 
from  the  ship's  company.  Time  passed  on ;  the  sun  was  slowly 
on  its  upward  track.  At  first  its  motion  was  imperceptible;  nev- 
ertheless, it  was  rising. 

"I  continued  to  watch  tho  upward  and  onward  progress  of  the 
sun.  Its  northern  declination  is  now  growing  less  and  less,  there- 
fore the  sun's  presence  here  is  less  and  less  prolonged.  Soon  the 
arctic  night  will  take  the  place  of  the  arctic  day,  which  is  now 
fast  clothing  the  mountains  in  green  and  (lowers. 

"Before  we  finally  entered  Uolsteinborg  Harbor,  the  George 
Ilenri/  beat  up  against  the  wind  by  tacking  ship  four  or  five 
times.  At  last  the  hour  came  when  the  position  of  the  ship  was 
pronounced  by  the  Danish  Esquimaux  pilot — Lars  Kkljt  by  name 
— to  bo  good — very  good.  The  morning  was  all  that  a  high- 
bounding  spirit  could  wish.  I  had  turned  in  about  two  o'clock 
A.M.,  and  was  now  greatly  refreshed  from  a  short  sleep.  When 
I  arose  the  vessel  was  bending  her  beak  toward  the  long-wishcd- 
for  haven.  Every  one  was  on  tiptoe  with  the  joyousness  of  the 
present.  An  inquiry  had  passed  back  and  forth  why  the  natives 
did  not  come  to  meet  us,  as  they  were  wont  to  meet  American 
and  English  vessels.  While  yet  far  off,  some  one  exclaimed, 
"  There  they  come  1"  Every  eye  was  quickly  turned  that  way. 
I  saw  them  at  a  distance  coming  swiftly  in  their  kyacks.  Theii- 
number  seemed  legion.  On  they  come.  They  meet  us,  and  greet 
with  smiles.  The  George  Henry  kept  her  course  ;  the  kyacks  fol- 
lowed in  our  wake.  We  looked  forward ;  others  and  others  were 
coming,  as  if  to  welcome  us  to  their  bay  and  homes. 


48  ARCTIC  RKSEARCir  EXPEDITION. 

"  As  wo  ncftrccl  tho  Innd,  how  cngcrly  I  souglit  to  cntcli  every 
view  that  was  within  HJglit.  My  eyes  wamlered  far  hade  to  the 
most  distant  mountain;  then  I  brought  them  quickly  to  those 
whieli  seemed  about  to  shake  hands  with  me,  piercing  into  their 
nooks  and  their  time-worn  rocks,  now  up  to  tlieir  i)innacie8,  now 
<lo\vh  to  their  broad  massive  bases.     I  was  happy. 

"  We  saw  the  little  Danish  (lag  on  the  hill  that  stands  ns  sentinel 
to  the  rock-ribbed  bay.  We  passed  on ;  the  western  ridge,  that 
runs  far  out  into  the  sea,  stole  away  the  winds  wliich  were  so 
gracefully  carrying  ua  to  our  chosen  port,  yet  enougli  favored  us 
to  go  slowly.  Soon  Ilolsteinborg,  in  all  its  imperial  greatness, 
met  our  eye.  'Tis  true,  Ilolsteinborg  was  not  gauilily  attired,  as 
some  kings'  palaces  are;  but  there  she  was  and  w,  sparkling  irt 
diamonds  of  pure  water,  radiating  rainbows  in  continual  sunlight. 
There  she  was  and  is,  surrounded  by  walls  more  anctient  than 
Jerusalem,  or  Thebes,  or  Babel's  Tower — of  God's  creation  — 
mountains  that  seem  to  prop  up  this  arctic  sky  — mountains 
whose  southern  sides  arc  now  clothed  in  green  and  laughing  flow- 
ers, and  whoso  northern  slopes  rest  beneath  a  bed  of  white. 

"  As  we  entered  the  harbor,  our  national  colors,  streamer,  and 
ship's  flag  were  raised,  and  the  Governor  of  llolstcnnborg  re- 
sponded by  hoisting  the  Danish  ensign.  Then,  at  10  A.M.  of 
this  day,  the  7th  of  July,  1860,  and  the  fortieth  day  from  the  port 
of  New  London,  United  States,  we  came  to  an  anchor.  Had  it 
not  been  for  head  winds  and  calms,  we  might  have  made  the  pas- 
sage in  twenty-five  to  thirty  days.    Captain  B has  made  it  in 

thirty-four;  he  says  it  generally  takes  about  thirty.  As  it  is,  we 
have  reason  to  thank  God  for  His  care  and  protection  over  us  in 
this  voyage.  Oh,  may  He  continue  His  blessing;  may  He  be 
near  unto  me  while  in  the  prosecution  of  the  great  work  before 
me !  With  thee,  O  God,  I  can  accomplish  much ;  without  thee, 
what  am  I  ? — nothing !  nothing ! !" 

The  7?csc«e  schooner — our  consort  and  tender — had  not  arrived. 
Her  orders  were  to  keep  with  us  if  possible;  but  on  tho  night  of 
Thursday,  31st,  the  third  day  out,  during  the  prevailing  fogs  and 
wind,  we  lost  her.  The  rendezvous,  however,  was  at  this  place, 
and  we  daily  expected  to  see  her. 


ViaiT  TO  THE  OOVEUNOIl.  49 


CHAPTER  II. 

Land  and  Vinit  tlio  Governor.— Brief  History  of  Greenland. — The  Holsteinbori}  Dis- 
trict.— Esijuimaux  and  Eiiro|K!nn  Population. — I'rotection  and  (^nro  of  ilio  Na- 
tive* by  the  Danisli  Crown. — i'loKUcH  of  (irecniand. — Mnfl<|uitoci*. — Trado  and 
Darter. — A  Yanlioo  outwitted  l)y  an  Etiqiiiniaux. — Dinner  at  tlio  Governor's. — 
M'Cliiitoelc's  Worlc. — The  I'riest'n  Wife.— Visit  tlie  tiovernnient  Buildings. — Ar- 
rival of  the  Renew,. — Larn's  Care  for  his  Family. — Dance  on  Sliore. — A  Mountain 
Kxcursion. — Hocks  crumbling  to  pieces. — Action  of  Freezing  Water  in  CJroviccs. 

Sundays'  and  Es(|uiniaux  Amusements. —  Greenland  Festival. —  Schools  and 

rrinting.— Dr.  Kink. 

Immediately  after  wc  had  dropped  anchor,  great  excitement 
reigned  on  board.  Some  of  us  at  once  prepared  for  the  shore, 
dressed  in  accordance  with  our  liomc  fashion  of  forty  days  ago, 
the  captain  and  I  intending  to  visit  the  governor.  On  hvnding, 
my  heart  leaped  with  joy  as  I  touched  the  firm  earth,  and  I  could 
not  help  taking  in  my  hands  some  of  the  rocky  fragments  on  the 
beach  and  say,  "  Tliank  God,  I  am  at  last  on  arctic  land,  where  I 
have  so  long  wished  to  be !  Greenland's  mountains,  I  greet 
you  I" 

As  Captain  Budington  had  met  the  governor  before,  my  intro- 
duction to  him  was  easy.  It  was  in  the  afternoon  when  our  visit 
took  place,  and  Governor  Elberg  received  us  with  much  kindly 
warmth.  But  the  events  that  occurred  during  our  stay  were  so 
various,  and  have  been  so  minutely  narrated  in  my  private  diary 
day  by  day,  that  I  must  try  and  introduce  them  as  much  together 
as  I  possibly  can,  first  giving  a  brief  sketch  of  what  relates  to  Hol- 
.steinborg  and  its  vicinity. 

The  early  ^history  of  Greenland  is  generally  well  known,  yet  a 
brief  resumH  of  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  the  reader.  In 
many  respects  it  borders  upon  romance,  as  indeed  all  the  old 
Scandinavian  chronicles  do,  but  well-attested  facts  state  nearly  as 
follows : 

About  the  middle  of  the  tenth  century,  one  Gunbiorn,  an  in- 
habitant of  the  previously-settled  Iceland,  discovered  land  to  the 
west,  and,  on  returning,  made  a  report  of  what  he  had  seen.  Soon 
afterward,  in  the  year  983,  a  person  known  as  "  Eric  the  Red" 
was  sentenced  by  the  Icelandei;'  to  banishment  for  the  crime  of 

D 


% 


-f 


50  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

manslaughter,  and  he  determined  to  visit  the  country  Gunbicirn 
had  discovered.  Sailing  westward  in  a  small  vessel,  he  arrived 
at  the  ncTV  land,  and  coasted  it  toward  the  south ;  then  turning 
a  point  now  known  as  Cape  Farewell,  he  came  to  an  island,  where 
he  passed  his  first  winter.  He  then  remained  three  years  explor- 
ing the  coasts,  and  finally  returned  to  Iceland,  where  he  gave  such 
a  report  of"  Greenland,"  as  he  termed  the  new  country,  that  it  in- 
duced many  of  the  colonists  of  both  sexes  to  go  back  with  him. 
Only  some  of  these  reached  their  destination,  the  rest  turning 
back  or  perishing  by  the  way.  A  colony  was  now  formed,  and 
communication  kept  up  with  Iceland,  and  even  with  Norway. 
Leif,  the  son  of  Eric,  went  to  the  latter  place,  and,  by  command  of 
the  king,  was  instructed  in  the  Christian  religion,  whence  he  was 
afterward  sent  back,  attended  by  a  priest,  who  baptized  Eric  and 
all  his  followers. 

In  the  year  1001,  one  of  the  colonists,  named  Bjoim^  was  acci- 
dentally driven  in  his  ship  to  the  southwest  of  Greenland,  and 
discovered  a  new  country  covered  with  wood.  On  his  return, 
Leif  fitted  out  a  vessel,  and,  with  Bjorn  as  pilot,  went  in  search  of 
this  new  land.  He  found  it  to  be  as  described,  and  termed  it 
Vinland,  which  there  can  be  no  doubt  must  have  been  part  of 
North  America,  about  the  latitude  of  45°. 

Meanwhile  the  colonists  of  Greenland  increased  in  number  and 
prosperity.  In  1121  An.old  was  elected  the  first  bishop,  and  sev- 
eral churches  were  built.  After  this  no  less  than  seventeen  bish- 
ops are  known  to  have  been  elected  from  first  to  last,  and  the  two 
settlements  of  East  and  West  Greenland  (into  which  the  colonists 
had  divided)  numbered  about  three  hundred  villages.  They  had 
their  little  barques  going  from  place  to  place  along  the  western 
coast  so  high  up  as  lat,  73°,  and  even,  as  is  supposed  from  ancient 
records  and  from  Eunic  inscriptions  seen  there,  to  the  entrance  of 
the  present-named  Wellington  Channel. 

For  a  long  time  after  this  the  history  of  these  colonists  is  in- 
volved in  obscurity.  Intercourse  with  Europe  was  obstructed 
about  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  whether  the  col- 
onists were  cut  off  by  hordes  of  the  Esquimaux  from  the  north  or 
west,  or  were  destroyed  by  a  pestilence,  is  yet  uncertain.  There 
is,  however,  a  document  extant,  discovered  by  Professor  Mallet 
in  the  papal  archives,  which  seems  to  warrant  the  idea  of  a  hos- 
tile fleet  "of  wild  heathen"  hav?".g  made  a  descent  upon  the  col- 
ony, fell  upon  the  people,  "  laid  waste  the  country  and  its  holy 


THE  HOLSTEINBOUG  DISTRICT.  51 

buildings  with  fire  and  sword,  sparing  nothing  but  the  small  par- 
ishes, and  carrying  captive  the  wretched  inhabitants  of  both  sex- 
es." Nothing,  however,  has  been  certainly  known  of  their  fate. 
Only  ruins  of  their  churches  and  convents  now  remain; 

At  length,  in  1576,  Martin  Frobisher  visited  Friesland,  now 
known  to  be  Greenland,  on  his  voyage  of  discovery  to  the  north- 
west, but  brought  to  light  no  particulars  concerning  the  original 
colonists.  Afterward,  in  1605,  James  Hall,  an  Englishman,  under 
Admiral  Lindenow,  was  sent  by  Denmark  to  rediscover  them  if 
possible.  He  succeeded  in  landing  upon  the  west  coast,  and  com- 
municated with  the  natives,  though  nothing  more  resulted  from 
his  visit.  Other  voyagers  touched  upon  its  shores;  but  not  until 
1721,  when  that  brave,  and  good,  and  truly  Christian  man,  Hans 
Egede,  conceived  the  project  of  himself  going  to  Greenland,  to 
spread  religion  among  its  natives,  was  any  thing  permanently  ef- 
fected. Then  Greenland  soon  came  into  notice,  and,  at  various 
times,  colonies  and  miss'onary  establishments,  under  the  Danish 
flag,  were  formed  along  its  coasts.  At  present  there  are  thirteen 
settlements,  .besides  commercial  and  missionary  stations.  The 
most  northern  official  settlement  is  Upernavik,  in  lat.  73°  N., 
but  there  is  a  fishing  establishment,  called  Tcssuisak,  some  few 
miles  still  farther  on.  Holsteinborg  is  in  lat.  66°  56'  N.,  long.  53° 
42'  W.  This  latter  place  was,  according  to  Crantz,  the  fifth  col- 
ony begun  in  Greenland,  and  first  settled  in  the  year  1759.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  conveoient  places  both  for  dwelling  and  trading. 

Holsteinborg  District  begins  at  North  Stromsfiord,  and  extends 
for  about  ninety-two  English  miles.  Its  breadth  eastward  from 
the  sea  is  also  about  ninety-two  miles.  There  are  four  fiords  in 
the  district,  and  the  mountains  upon  it  are  high,  though  not  so 
lofty  as  farther  north.  The  only  European  who  has  penetrated 
far  to  the  eastward  through  this  district  is  Kielsen,  in  1830.  He 
found  the  land  not  so  mountainous  as  toward  the  sea. 

The  harbor  of  Holsteinborg  is  good,  and  well  landlocked.  The 
spring  tides  are  about  12  feet. 

The  buildings  have,  as  I  was  told,  the  best  appearance  of  any 
in  Greenland.    They  may  be  thus  enumerated : 

The  governor's  house ;  priest's  house ;  the  church ;  the  lieuten- 
ant governor's  house;  the  dance-house;  sch ool -house ;  brewing 
house ;  the  blacksmith's ;  two  warehouses ;  one  cooperage ;  one 
"try"  l^ouse  for  oil;  thirteen  Esquimaux  houses,  Danish  built; 
three  turf  houses  for  Esquimaux,  and  one  dead-house,  where  de- 


52  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

ceased  persons  are  placed  for  six  days  before  burial.  Graves  are 
dug,  even  in  winter,  for  burying.  Thus  the  total  number  of 
buildings  in  Holsteinborg  amounts  to  29. 

The  population  is  as  follows : 

The  inhabitants  in  Ilolsteinborg  District  proper  number  197 ; 
in  Kemortusiik,  103 ;  in  OmanausUk,  97 ;  in  Sarfangoak,  158 ;  in 
Itiblik,  108 — making  a  total  of  663  souls. 

In  the  town  of  Ilolsteinborg  there  are  only  ten  Europeans,  but 
throughout  all  Greenland  in  1855  they  numbered  250.  At  that 
date  it  was  estimated  there  were  9644  Esquimaux,  three  fourths 
of  whom  were  of  Danish  blood  and  the  rest  pure. 

In  the  Holsteinborg  District  there  are  three  small  schooners, 
five  small  boats,  and  eleven  whale-boats. 

In  1859,  which  was  considered  a  bad  year,  only  one  whale  was 
captured,  though  sometimes  teij  and  twelve  have  been  caught  in 
a  single  season.  Of  reindeer  300  were  secured ;  of  seal-blubber, 
5000  lbs. ;  liver  of  sharks,  2000  lbs. ;  blue  foxskins,  100 ;  white 
foxskins,  150 ;  eider-down,  before  cleansing,  500  lbs. ;  after  cleans- 
ing, 100  lbs. ;  r.nd  of  stockfish  —  that  is,  dried  codfish  unsalted, 
4000  lbs. 

I  may  state  that  during  Governor  Elberg's  time,  since  1850, 
there  have  been  killed  from  5000  to  6000  reindeer.  Several  years 
ago  there  were  obtained  in  two  years  from  the  Esquimaux  about 
fifty  tons  of  reindeer  horn,  costing  some  two  skillings,  or  one  cent 
federal  money,  per  pound  ;  4500  lbs.  of  it  were  sent  home  to  Co- 
penhagen, but  it  would  not  pay  freight. 

The  governor  also  told  me  that  "whenever  the  ships  were 
obliged  to  take  home  to  Copenhagen  stone  for  ballast,  they  could 
sell  it  to  no  purpose,  because  it  was  complained  of  as  rotten." 
This  I  found  to  be  generally  true.  Oil  several  mountains  I  vis- 
ited, stones  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  were  crumbling.  On 
Mount  Cunningham  I  had  satisfactory  proof  of  it.  Small  mounds 
of  stone  that  have  evidently  crumbled  off"  the  larger  mountains 
may  be  seen  lying  at  the  base.  The  winters  are  doing  their  lev- 
eling work,  and  doing  it  rapidly. 

There  are  four  midwives.  Two  have  a  good  medical  education, 
obtained  in  Copenhagen.    They  receive  $70  (Danish)  per  year.^ 

Danish. 

The  schoolmaster  receives  per  annum $125  00 

Three  other  teachers,  each        "  100  00 

Three  "  "  "         2,5*0 

Three  "  "  "  10  00 

Two  "  "  "  6  00 


MUSQUITOES.  68 

One  of  these  latter  gets  six  dollars,  and  teaches  his  two  chil- 
dren— the  only  two  children  of  his  district — to  read  and  write ! 

Four  women,  who  teach  the  children  "A,  B,  C's,"  get  each  one 
dollar  per  year. 

The  men,  sixteen  in  number,  in  the  employ  of  government,  get 
each  forty  to  ninety  dollars  per  year,  besides  provisions  for  them- 
selves and  families.  Every  fourteen  days  bread  is  baked  for 
them. 

In  the  town  there  are  twenty-four  stoves — only  one  to  each 
house ;  and  these  stoves  require  100  barrels  of  coal  and  five  fath- 
oms of  wood. 

There  are  reckoned  to  be  1700  Esquimaux  sealers  in  Green- 
land, 400  fishers,  and  one  Esquimaux  officer  (a  cle^k),  whose  fa- 
ther was  a  Dane  and  the  Governor  of  Lievely — Goodhavn.  In 
addition,  there  are  of  Esquimaux  17  foremen  and  boatsmen ;  22 
coopers  and  blacksmiths ;  87  sailors ;  15  pensioners,  whose  busi- 
ness is  to  look  after  goats,  and  who  get  half  rations  of  beer,  pork, 
meat,  and  butter,  etc.,  but  full  rations  of  pease,  barley,  etc. 

There  are  also  20  native  catechists  or  missionaries. 

The  European  missionaries  and  priests  number  13  German  and 
11  Danish.  j| 

Of  first  and  second  governor^nere  are  31. 

Three  doctors  visit  each  place  once  a  year.  There  are  36  Eu- 
ropean clerks ;  7  boat-steerers  ;  28  coopers,  carpenters,  and  black- 
smiths ;  19  sailors  and  cooks ;  and  8  pensioners. 

The  whole  body  of  missionaries  are  paid  per  annum,  in  Dan- 
ish money,  $16,360 ;  of  which  amount  Government  House  gives 
$14,650,  and  the  East  India  Missions,  at  the  outside,  $2000.  For 
schools  and  school-books  the  sum  of  $6500  is  appropriated. 

I  now  proceed  with  my  personal  narrative. 

Among  the  numerous  visitors  that  greeted  us  on  our  arrival, 
I  was  astonished  to  find  myriads  of  musquitoes.  Little  did  we 
expect  so  ivann  a  reception  in  the  arctic  regions.  Talk  about  mus- 
quitoes in  the  States  as  being  numerous  and  troublesome  I  Why, 
no  man  who  has  not  visited  the  arctic  shores  in  the  months  of 
July  and  August  can  have  a  good  idea  of  these  Liliputian  ele- 
phants. In  the  States  the  very  hum  of  a  musquito  is  enough  to 
set  any  one  upon  his  guard.  How  many  a  poor  soul  there  has 
been  kept  in  a  state  of  torment  all  night  by  the  presence  of  only 
two  or  three  musquitoes !  But  here,  in  the  North,  it  is  a  com- 
mon, every-hour  affair  to  have  thousands  at  one  time  around  you. 


54 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


some  buzzing,  some  drawing  the  very  life-blood  from  face,  hands, 
arms,  and  legs,  until  one  is  driven  to  a  state  approaching  mad- 
ness. Even  the  clothing  worn  in  the  States  is  no  protection  here 
against  the  huge  proboscis  with  whici.  each  lady  musquito  is 
armed. 

On  Monday,  July  9th,  a  laughable  circumstance  occurred.  It 
consisted  in  the  fact  that  Esquimaux  had  managed  to  outwit 
Yankee,  and  thus  it  was : 

Sterry — the  sharp  Sterry,  who  understands  the  Esquimaux  lan- 
guage, had  been  assisting  Smith,  the  third  mate,  in  some  "  trade" 
with  the  natives.  Sampson,  the  pilot,  was  the  man  who  had  come 
on  board,  with  several  others,  to  see  what  could  be  picked  up. 
He  was  accosted  by  Smith,  and  asked  if  he  had  any  thing  to 
trade ;  but  the  reply  was  that  "  all  had  gone."  In  fact,  he  had 
parted  with  every  thing  of  value  in  his  possession,  and  that,  too, 
for  nominal  prices  in  return.  Smith,  however,  was  not  satisfied, 
and  again  pressed  the  Esquimaux.  At  length  it  occurred  to 
Sampson  that  he  had  money,  with  which  he  could  purchase  out- 
right some  tobacco.  So  he  asked  Smith  if  he  had  any  to  sell. 
Smith  replied,  "  Yes ;  how  much  do  you  want?"  Sampson  there- 
upon drew  forth  a  Danish  bill^narked  "  sex  skilling" — a  shin- 


J^ 


6  Skl.Riwf 


i'ibV. 


^ty^A 


■i-etiuu^f 


OBinCNLANO  CDBBENCT. 


pUsier — and  said,  "How  much  you  sell  for  this?"    Smith  took 
the  bill  with  avidity,  and  showed  it  to  our  acute,  jocular,  and  ever 


A  YANKEE  OUTWITTED.  55 

good-humored  Sterry.  I  here  show  a  iac-simile  of  it  to  my  read- 
ers. Sterry,  seeing  the  "  sex  skilling"  on  the  bill,  thought  it  to 
be  six  shillings  Yankee  currency,  and  accordingly  himself  ad- 
dressed the  Esquimaux  in  native  tongue.  "  How  many  plugs 
for  this?"  said  he.  ^'■Four"  answered  Sampson.  Now  this,  if 
each  had  understood  the  other,  would  have  been  clear,  straight- 
forward, and  a  bargain.  But  Sterry,  though  well  talking  Esqui- 
maux on  the  west  side  of  Davis's  Straits,  was  not  so  proficient  in 
it  at  Greenland,  where  there  is  a  material  difference.  Accord- 
ingly, Sampson's  reply  he  took  to  mean  ionr  pounds  of  tobacco, 
which  amounted  to  thirty-two  plugs.  This,  even  at  the  "  six  shil- 
lings" Yankee  currency,  was  a  pretty  "steep  price,"  for  the  to- 
bacco was  worth  at  least  one  dollar  and  sixty-eight  cents.  How- 
ever, for  certain  reasons  connected  with  an  extreme  thirst  then 
raging  throughout  both  Sterry  and  Smith,  it  was  concluded  to  let 
the  tobacco  go  that  the  money  might  be  had.  Smith,  therefore, 
went  to  his  chest  and  got  what  Sampson  wanted.  As  the  plugs 
of  tobacco  were  counted  over  to  the  Esquimaux,  his  eyes  ex- 
panded with  immense  delight  and  astonishment.  He  hastened  to 
his  kyack  with  the  "  godsend,"  and  hurried  to  the  shore,  the  rich- 
est native  man  in  Holsteinborg.  Immediately  he  communicated 
to  his  friends  the  immense  wealth  that  had  befallen  him  from  his 
"  sex  skillings ;"  how  he  had  asked  only  four  plugs  of  tobacco 
from  the  white  man  on  board  the  ship,  and  he  had  got  eightfold. 
It  was  enough.  What  California  was  to  Americans,  so  was  the 
barque  George  Henry  now  to  the  Esquimaux  of  Holsteinborg. 
Kyack  after  kyack  came  with  its  dignified  Esquimaux,  each  load- 
ed with  a  large  complement  of  the  fortune-making  "sex  skilling." 
Sampson,  who  had  so  quickly  got  rich,  was  among  the  new-com- 
ers, eagerly  seeking  for  more.  But,  alas  for  the  hopes  of  men, 
especially  when  founded  on  bank  bills!  A  speculation  had  al- 
ready commenced  in  town  on  the  "  skilling  notes."  They  ran  up 
above  par  to  300, 400,  and,  at  one  time,  800  per  cent. !  And  when 
the  Esquimaux,  to  some  scores  of  persons,  arrived  on  board,  they 
found  themselves  partly  ruined  instead  of  being  enriched.  Our 
Sterry  and  Smith  had  discovered  their  mistake,  and  thus  many 
an  Esquimaux,  who,  like  several  white  men,  had  invested  his  all 
in  that  sort  of  paper  currency  at  high  figures,  found  himself  al- 
most beggared.  Directly  Sar%pson  came  on  board,  he  was  met 
by  Smith  at  the  gangway,  and  the  following  took  place,  to  the 
dismay  of  the  numerous  new  traders : 


56  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Taking  the  "  cussed"  bill  from  his  pocket  and  handing  it  to 
Sampson,  Smith  said, "  No  good ;  too  little  money  for  four  pounds 
tobacco."  Sampson,  with  honest  face,  looked  Smith  in  the  eye, 
and  replied,  "  He  be  good ;"  which  really  was  true — good  for  its 
face,  sex  skilling,  equivalent  to  about  three  cents  federal  coin. 
But  Sterry,  who  had  joined,  now  insisted,  in  as  good  "  Husky" 
(Esquimaux)  language  as  he  could  command,  that  "  too  little 
money  for  good  deal  tobacco,"  and  he  held  up  his  finger  of  one 
hand,  a  thumb  and  all  his  fingers  of  the  other.  Sampson  now 
understood,  and  woefully  but  honestly  said,  "I  go  get  tobacco 
and  bring  it  back."  Smith  handed  him  the  bill,  but  Sampson  at 
once  told  him  to  keep  it  until  he  should  return.  "No,"  said 
Smith,  "takb  it  along  with  you.  I'll  trust  you.  I  see  you're  hon- 
est, and  wish  to  do  what  is  right.  It's  Sterry's  fault,"  he  added, 
afterward,  "  or  I  should  not  have  been  caught  so.  But,  if  I  never 
get  my  tobacco  again,  I  don't  care.  I've  learned  a  good  lesson, 
and  that  is,  not  to  deal  in  '  Husky'  bank-stock.  I'm  now  a  Jack- 
son man.  D — n  all  banks  except  that  of  Newfoundland,  where  I 
hope  yet  to  catch  more  cod  on  my  way  to  and  from  these  parts." 

Need  I  say  that  the  Esquimaux  had  to  return  on  shore  very 
crestfallen  with  their  disappointment?  Who  would  not  have  been, 
especially  after  investing  in  stocks,  as  many  of  them  had  done  ? 

To  finish  the  history  of  this  affair,  I  may  as  well  add  here  that, 
in  a  few  days'  after  this,  "  Sampson,"  with  all  his  family  and  his 
friends,  left  Holsteinborg  for  some  other  place.  Smith  therefore 
became  minus  four  pounds  of  tobacco,  and  the  "  sex  skilling"  be- 
sides !  Thus  the  Esquimaux  completely  outwitted  two  of  our 
smart  Yankees,  and,  what  is  more,  did  it  without  the  smallest  in- 
tention of  dishonesty  at  the  time.  Sterry  always  declared  that  he 
thought  the  "sex  skilling"  bill  was  six  Yankee  shillings,  and  both 
he  and  Smith  acknowledged  they  were  anxious  to  get  some  Green- 
land money  to  "  splice  the  main  brace."  Ever  afterward  they  had 
frequent  reminders  from  our  ship's  company  of  the  joke. 

Thursday,  July  10th,  was  a  most  interesting  day  to  me,  on  ac- 
count of  a  visit  paid  by  Captain  Budington  and  myself  to  Gov- 
ernor Elberg.  Leaving  the  ship,  which  was  anchored  half  a  mile 
from  the  landing,  we  were  taken  on  shore  by  an  Esquimaux  boat 
rowed  by  natives,  and  arrived  at  Government  House  about  4 
P.M.  We  found  him  busily  engaged  with  his  clerk  in  preparing 
an  Annual  Eeport  for  the  King  of  Denmark ;  but  he  kindly  wel- 
comed us,  and,  putting  aside  his  labors,  escorted  us  into  a  private 


M'CLINTOCK'S  VOYAGE,  57 

room.  Here  we  soon  entered  into  genial  conversation  ;  and  a  pres- 
ent from  Captain  Budington  of  sweet  potatoes  grown  in  Florida 
(never  before  seen  by  the  governor),  with  a  case  of  preserved 
quinces  from  me,  much  pleased  him, 

Ilearing  that  I  had  on  board  a  copy  of  M'Clintock's  Voyage,  he 
asked  for  the  loan  of  it,  and  I  let 'him  have  it  soon  afterward. 
Captain  M'Clintoek,  in  the  account  of  his  voyage,  thus  speaks  of 
liis  visit  to  llolsteinborg  in  the  latter  end  of  April,  1858 : 

"  We  have  been  visited  by  the  Danish  residents — the  chief  trad- 
er or  governor,  the  priest  and  two  others.  *  *  *  I  afterward 
visited  the  governor,  and  found  his  little  wooden  house  as  scrupu- 
lously clean  and  neat  as  the  houses  of  the  Danish  residents  in 
Greenland  invariably  are.  The  only  ornaments  about  the  room 
were  portraits  of  his  unfortunate  wife  and  two  children.  They 
embarked  at  Copenhagen  last  year  to  rejoin  him,  and  the  ill-fated 
vessel  has  never  since  been  heard  of.  *  *  *  This  is  a  grand 
Danish  holiday;  the  inhabitants  are  all  dressed  in  their  Sunday 
clothes — at  least  all  who  have  got  a  change  of  garment — and  there 
is  both  morning  and  evening  service  in  the  small  wooden  church. 
*  *  *  This  is  the  only  part  of  Greenland  where  earthquakes 
are  felt.  The  governor  told  me  of  an  unusually  severe  shock 
which  occurred  a  winter  or  two  ago.  He  was  sitting  in  his  room 
reading  at  the  time,  when  he  heard  a  loud  noise  like  the  discharge 
of  a  cannon.  Immediately  afterward  a  tremulous  motion  was 
felt ;  some  glasses  upon  the  table  began  to  dance  about,  and  pa- 
pers lying  upon  the  window-sill  fell  down.  -After  a  few  seconds 
it  ceased.  lie  thinks  the  motion  originated  at  the  lake,  as  it  was 
not  felt  i)y  some  people  living  beyond  it,  and  that  it  passed  from 
N.E.  to  S.W.  *  *  *  The  mountain  scenery  is  really  charm- 
ing. *  *  *  The  clergyman  of  llolsteinborg  was  born  in  this 
colony,  and  has  succeeded  his  father  in  the  priestly  office ;  his 
wife  is  the  only  European  female  in  the  colony.  Being  told  that 
fuel  was  extremely  scarce  in  the  Danish  houses,  and  that  the 
pnesCs  wife  was  blue  with  the  cold,  I  sent  on  shore  a  present  of 
coals." 

The  governor  invited  us  to  visit  the  various  buildings  and  the 
town.  We  first  directed  our  steps  to  the  general  government 
store,  where  we  saw  almost  as  much  variety  as  in  a  country  store 
at  home.  There  was  a  little  of  every  thing,  with  a  good  deal  of 
malt,  barley,  pease,  and  dry  bread,  which  will  keep  for  years. 

In  a  warehouse  near  the  landing  I  noticed  large  quantities  of 


68  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

whale  rope,  butter,  fish,  and  crackers  enough  for  his  whole  popu- 
lation (numbering  700  souls)  for  two  years.  Every  thing  was  of 
the  most  substantial  character,  and  stored  in  such  a  large  quanti- 
ty in  case  the  vessel  which  is  annually  sent  to  the  colonists  from 
Denmark  should  bo  lost.  There  was  also  a  large  supply  of  deer- 
skins, sealskins,  water-proof  clothing,  etc.  In  a  loft  over  the  store 
I  saw  some  sioord-blades,  used  for  cutting  blubber/  Eesolving 
swords  into  plowshares  is  an  old  idea,  but  swords  into  blubber- 
cutters  is  something  decidedly  new. 

While  at  the  store  a  customer  arrived — an  Esquimaux.  He 
wanted  some  sugar  and  coffee.  This  was  served  to  him,  and  he 
paid  for  it  by  a  Greenland  bill  of  twenty-four  skillings,  equal  to 
fourteen  cents  American,   . 

We  next  visited  the  blacksmith's  shop — a  building  that  looks 
quite  equal  to  a  fine  village  dwelling-house.  Inside  was  the  ma- 
chine-shop, with  long  rows  of  whale  gear,  harpoons,  lances,  etc., 
and  three  whale  guns.  Here  I  saw  a  cast-iron  stove,  which  the 
governor  said  was  the  kind  used  by  the  natives.  This  stove  was 
Jiled  all  over  and  polished ;  the  stove-pipe,  twenty  feet  long,  also 
of  cast  iron.  Its  price  was  equivalent  to  $15  federal  money. 
The  blacksmith  was  a  fine-looking,  intelligent  mechanic. 

Our  next  visit  was  to  the  school-house.  To  enter  it  we  had  to 
stoop  muqh.  "  He  stoops  to  conquer,"  was  an  idea  that  entered 
my  mind  as  I  thought  of  the  teacher  who  bends  his  head  on  en- 
tering that  temple  of  knowledge.  The  teacher's  business  is  (u 
bend.  "As  the  twig  is  bent,  the  tree's  inclined."  Intelligence 
and  virtue  will  yet  conquer  ignorance  and  vice.  Who  would 
not  stoop  that  such  a  cause — the  cause  of  knowledge — might  pro- 
gress ? 

On  returning  to  the  governor's  house,  we  went  into  an  upper 
room  which  overlooks  Davis's  Straits  and  the  many  islands 
around  the  entrance  of  the  harbor.  Here  is  the  "apothecary's 
shop,"  the  contents  of  which  the  governor  himself  disjienses  ai> 
required  among  the  sick  natives.  Shelves  of  stationery  were  also 
round  the  room  ;  and  in  a  closet  a  quantity  of  eider-dov/n,  from 
which,  in  1850,  both  Dr.  Kane  and  Commodore  De  Haven  had 
some  for  their  beds.  The  keys  of  the  government  buildings — 
many  of  ponderous  size — were  also  kept  in  a  closet  here. 

After  examining  the  several  places  of  note,  we  sat  down  to  an 
excellent  supper  of  duck,  salmon,  trout,  eider-duck's  eggs,  butter, 
American  cheese,  some  very  rich  goat's  milk,  white  flour  bread, 


EVENING  PAUTY  ON  SHORE.  69 

Yankee-brewed  rye  liquors,  and  good  tea.  A  Danish  custom  of 
shaking  hands  on  rising  from  table  followed.  We  then  went  out 
for  a  walk,  and  to  call  on  the  lieutenant  governor.  This  gentle- 
man was  very  kind  and  urbane  in  his  demeanor.  He  brought 
forth  numerous  specimens  of  Greenland  rocks  and  of  fossil  fish — 
capelin  (Mullotus  villosus) — called  by  the  Greenlanders  "  angmar- 
set,"  by  the  Danes  "  sild,"  and  by  the  English  "  capelin."  This 
fish  is  about  six  inches  long,  of  a  bluish-brown  color  on  the  back, 
and  silver-white  on  the  belly.  The  fossils  were  found  about  100 
miles  up  a  fiord,  the  entrance  to  which  is  close  by  here.  Though 
they  are  of  great  value,  the  lieutenant  governor  most  generously 
presented  the  whole  to  me. 

At  his  house  I  saw  some  very  good  snow-shoes,  such  as  are 
used  in  Norway.  They  are  about  six  feet  long  by  five  inches 
wide,  and  covered  with  seJilskin.  They  are  made  of  a  flat,  thin 
piece  of  board,  bent  up  at  its  fore  part.  This  is  the  kind  of  snow- 
shoe  Parry  bought  at  Hammerfest,  in  Norway,  when  on  his  North 
Pole  voyage  in  1827.  He  afterward  used  them  for  runners,  on 
which  he  placed  his  two  boats  to  be  drawn  over  the  ice. 

We  spent  the  evening  in  the  governor's  house,  wltere  a  pleas- 
ant party  was  assembled,  among  whom  were  the  priest's  wife,  Mrs. 
KJer,  and  another  lady,  Feokcn  B'ubu,  daughter  of  the  governor  of 
the  District  of  Godhaab.  The  priest  himself  was  absent  on  a 
journey.  During  conversation  I  related  how  M'Clintock  had 
found  the  paper  belonging  to  Sir  John  Franklin's  Expedition,  and 
deep  interest  was  evinced  by  all  in  the  subject.  The  governor 
read  from  M'Clintock's  work  that  portion  telating  to  his  visit 
here,  and  which  I  have  already  transcribed.  When  the  part  was 
translated  which  referred  to  the  priest's  wife  being  "blue  with  the 
cold,"  it  caused  immense  merriment,  none  enjoying  the  joke  more 
than  the  lady  herself.  The  whole  scene,  indeed,  was  such  as  I  can 
not  readily  forget.  The  Esquimaux  servants,  in  their  costume, 
were  around,  M'Clintock's  book  in  the  governor's  hand,  while  the 
chart  and  fac-simile  of  the  Franklin  record  lay  open  before  him. 

After  tea  the  ladies  commenced  knitting  some  lace,  and  during 
the  evening  Madam  Kjer  presented  me  with  a  mustard-ladle  and 
two  salt-shovels,  all  of  ivory  walrus  tusk,  made  by  an  Esquimaux 
ivith  only  a  knife!  They  were  of  excellent  workmanship,  and  I 
valued  them  greatly.  I  had  previously  offered  the  ladies  two  pin 
and  needle  cushions,  which  they  kindly  accepted. 

During  a  conversation  with  the  governor  this  day  he  informed 


60  ARCTIC  UESEARCII  EXPEDITION, 

mc  that  the  whole  of  Greenland  belongs  to  the  King  of  Denmark 
us  his  royal  })rerogative,  and  is  the  only  dependency  that  is  con- 
trolled exclusively  by  him.  Much  fault  is  found  with  this  by  the 
people  of  Denmark — much  written  in  the  j)aper3.  Those  who 
are  for  the  king  retaining  this  right  contend  that  otherwise  the 
poor  Esquimaux  would  at  once  become  debased,  and  lose  all  the 
great  inlluenees  that  are  now  at  work  for  their  benefit.  Tiirow- 
ing  open  the  ports  of  Greenland  would  be  followed  by  vessels  of 
every  country  visiting  the  natives,  and  purchasing  their  skins,  oil, 
and  bone  for  liquor!  The  Esquimaux  of  Greenland  will  dispose 
of  their  all  to  obtain  spirituous  drinks,  and  the  governor  said  that 
not  for  any  thing  would  he  sell  them  a  glass  of  liquor. 

After  bidding  the  party  a  cordial  good-night,  we  returned  to 
the  beach  at  half  past  ten,  and  found  one  of  our  boats  ready  to 
take  us  off.  It  contained  Stcrry  (red  as  a  beet),  Smith,  Kogers, 
and  five  or  six  others  of  the  crew,  who  had  been  at  a  dance  given 
by  the  mother-in-law  of  the  lieutenant  governor.  They  had  all 
enjoyed  themselves  amazingly. 

The  following  day,  Wednesday,  July  11th,  fogs  prevailed. 
Hardly  a  rftusquito  had  been  seen  since  Sunday ;  and  to  me  it 
was  a  singular  fact,  that  a  warm  sunny  day  will  bring  myriads 
around  you  within  the  arctic  circle,  when,  if  it  be  at  all  foggy, 
none  arc  to  be  seen.  The  bites  of  these  annoying  little  insects 
remained  for  days,  and  my  whole  body  was  covered  with  the 
merciless  wounds  inflicted  by  them. 

In  the  afternoon  an  "oomiak,"  or  looman^s  boat,  came  along- 
side, rowed  by  Esquimaux  girls.  There  were  in  the  boat  two 
mothers,  with  their  babies,  and  ten  young  women.  They  had 
been  out  gathering  fuel,*  and  called  upon  us  on  their  way  back. 

The  accompanying  illustration  of  an  Esquimaux  woman  and 
child  is  a  fac-simile  of  a  wood-cut  drawn  and  engraved  by  a  Green- 
lander  named  Aaron,  living  near  Godhaab,  who  has  received  no 
better  education  than  the  generality  of  his  countrymen. 

About  2  P.M.  of  this  day  our  consort,  the  Rescue,  hove  in  sight, 
and,  as  the  wind  was  almost  gone,  boats  were  sent  to  help  her  in, 
I  went  in  one  of  the  boats,  pulling  an  oar,  and,  after  rowing  a  dis- 
tance of  some  miles,  got  on  board  of  the  schooner.  By  that  time 
it  was  calm,  and  the  stillness  of  evening  had  approached.  Anothei- 
boat,  containing  Smith,  and  the  noble,  good-hearted  Esquimaux 
pilot,  called  Lars  Kletjt,  had  joined  us,  and  there  we  were,  in  real 

*  A  dwmf  shrub — Andromeda  tetrugoiin. 


^ 


(IRKKNLANII   WOMAN   AMI  Clin.S. 

[Kac-8inille  of  a  wood-cut  executed  by  an  EBquimaux.] 


ESQUIMAUX  DANCE  ON  SHORE.  68 

whaling  fashion,  towing  the  new  arrival  into  harbor.  Four  boats, 
of  beautiful  form  and  llnish— two  white,  with  blue  gunwales,  and 
two  green — were  in  a  line  ahead  of  the  Jicscue,  pulling  her  along, 
while  the  merry  voices  of  our  men  resounded  upon  the  still  wa- 
ters and  were  echoed  back  from  the  bold  mountains  in  answering 
glee.  It  was  a  pretty  sight  as  witnessed  from  the  schooner's  deck, 
and  one  to  bo  often  remembered.  "  Otto,"  a  pure-blooded  Esqui- 
mau.x,  stood  at  the  wheel  to  steer  us  in,  and  all  hands  besides,  ex- 
cept the  cook,  were  in  the  boats. 

At  midnight  wo  came  to  an  anchor  within  a  couple  of  stones' 
throw  of  Government  House. 

Both  Otto  and  Lars  Kkijt  were  reckoned  such  good  men  and 
ice  pilots  that  every  confidence  was  j)laced  in  them.  I  asked  the 
latter,  "  What  for" — meaning  how  much — "you  go  to  West  Land 
(King  William's  Land)  with  me?"  His  answer  was,  "  My  mother 
old  man — she  get  no  dinner — my  little  ones  die!" 

Captain  Walker,  of  a  Scotch  whaler,  last  year  tried  to  get 
"Lars"  to  go  with  him,  and  offered  to  make  him  second  mate; 
l)ut  Lars  said,  "  Me  no  go  for  all  the  world.  My  family  I"  A 
noble  fellow  this  Lars.  But,  poor  man !  ho  was  then  much  dis- 
tressed, owing  to  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  had  died  a  few  weeks 
previous  to  our  visit.  He  himself  appeared  very  sick,  and  my 
sincere  wish  was  that  so  good  a  husband,  son,  and  parent  might 
be  spared  for  his  little  ones  and  the  mother  he  so  greatly  loved. 

Olto  loved  his  grorj.  lie  and  Lars  went  out  fishing.  On  re- 
turn, coming  aboard,  he  most  earnestly  asked  for  a  glass  of  spirits, 
"  to  keep  salt-water  out  of  poor  Esquimaux !" 

In  the  evening  of  the  following  day,  myself,  the  captain,  mate. 
Lamb,  and  most  of  the  crew,  went  on  shore  to  a  grand  dance  given 
by  the  Esquimaux  girls  to  the  white-men  visitors.  Sterry,  our 
gonial  Sterry,  was  in  his  clement.  He  had  a  most  capital  faculty 
for  gaihing  the  affections  of  the  fair  sepc,  and  proved  himself  ex- 
cellent on  the  variations.  He  had  a  continual  crowd  of  the  good- 
looking  around  him.  We  had  an  old  sea-captain  (an  Esquimaux), 
Ii'onflice,  as  a  fiddler,  perched  up  in  the  window,  with  pipe  in  his 
mouth,  and  merry,  right  merry  did  all  of  us  become.  Several 
dances,  in  excellent  order,  were  performed,  and  many  of  our  com- 
pany went  through  their  waltzing  with  Esquimaux  partners  in 
capital  style.  Every  thing  was  don*?  in  the  most  kindly  and 
agreeable  manner ;  and  when  the  party  broke  up,  it  left  upon  the 
mind  of  eauh  of  us  a  feeling  of  the  most  friendly  nature. 


64  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

The  iirst  Sunday  at  Ilolsteinborg  I  determined  to  ascend  the 
mountain  on  the  north  side  of  the  harbor,  and  there  worship  in 
the  great  temple  of  the  world's  Creator.  In  the  morning,  accom- 
panied by  Sterry,  we  began  the  ascent,  with  a  fine  clear  sky  above, 
and  the  glorious  sun  shining  warmly  upon  us.  But,  ere  we  had 
got  far,  swarms  of  musquitoes  came  around.  Fortunately,  I  had 
long  hair  on  my  head,  and  my  beard  and  mustache  were  also  of 
great  length.  Sterry,  however,  had  to  cover  his  face  with  a  band- 
kerchief  having  two  little  holes  for  look-outs. 

As  we  went  on,  streams  of  pure  and  sparkling  cold  water  came 
dancing  down  the  mountain  side,  and  at  these  we  several  times 
quenched  our  thirst.  Thus  feteep  after  steep  we  mounted,  but  at 
what  cost !  The  sun's  rays  poured  hot  upon  our  backs,  and  both 
of  us  soon  had  to  doff  our  cOats,  leaving  the  musquitoes  to  perse- 
cute us  at  will.  All  we  could  do  was  to  push  on  quickly,  to  see 
if  we  could  get  into  a  higher  region  where  these  torments  did  not 
abound.  But  our  bodies  soon  became  weary;  and  the  steepness 
of  the  way  was  such  that  one  false  step  would  have  proved  fatal 
to  us;  yet  we  were  not  without  some  relief.  Patches  of  broad- 
leaved  sorrel  on  the  mountain-side  refreshed  us  greatly  as  we 
rested,  and  beds  of  moss,  covered  with  smiling  flowers,  served  as 
our  temporary  couch. 

In  about  two  hours  we  gained  the  summit,  both  of  us  covered 
with  musquitoes,  and  driven  almost  to  madness  by  their  stings. 
In  vain  we  tried  every  thing  that  mind  could  think  of  to  get  rid 
of  them.  Nothing  availed.  We  were  doomed  by  these  merciless 
invaders,  and  our  very  life's  blood  was  copiously  drawn  forth  to 
supply  their  gluttonous  desires. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  mountain  w^c  saw  a  beautiful  littli' 
lake ;  and  upon  standing  by  its  side,  it  was  found  to  be  clear  as 
crystal,  mirroring  forth  the  lofty  peaks  above  us.  On  its  noutli 
shore  was  a  low  shingly  beach,  that  had  been  thrown  up*  by  the 
winds  coming  in  this,  the  only  direction  they  could  cross  the  wa- 
ter. This  lake  was  fed  by  various  small  streams  that  were  leap- 
ing down  from  the  snowy  mountains,  and,  if  it  had  got  no  other 
name,  I  termed  it  "  William  Sterry"  Lake.  We  walked  along  it, 
and  saw  numerous  salmon,  small  trout  (three  of  which  we  caught 
with  our  hands),  and  many  skulls  and  horns  of  deer. 

It  was  now  dinner-time,  and  our  appetite  was  well  sharpened 
by  the  exercise  we  had  enjoyed.  Accordingly,  a  fire  was  lit 
whereby  to  cook  the  fish,  though  at  first  I  was  greatly  puzzled 


MOUNTAIN  EXCURSION.  05 

1 

how  we  were  to  get  material  for  a  firo ;  but  Sterry,  who  had  been 
so  much  in  this  arctic  region,  well  knew  its  resources.  Where  all 
looked  barren  to  me,  he  soon  found  moss  and  some  low  brush- 
wood, like  the  running  hemlock  of  the  States.  It  is  a  tough 
shrub,  with  small  leaves  and  white  blossoms,  which  produce  black 
berries  with  red  sweet  juice.  Dwarf  willow,  heather,  and  small 
undergrowth  wood  of  various  description  are  intermixed.  The 
dead  wood,  the  leaves,  stalks,  and  limbs  of  preceding  years,  are 
thickly  interspersed  with  the  growing  portions  of  this  fuel,  and  it 
was  with  it  that  Sterrj'  so  quickly  made  a  fire.  A  result  follow- 
ed, however,  that  we  little  expected.  The  abundance  of  such  fuel 
around  caused  the  fire  to  spread  rapidly,  and  as  a  strong  breeze 
was  now  blowing,  it  soon  got  beyond  our  control.  Sterry,  how- 
ever, very  calmly  said,  "Never  mind;  let  it  burn.  Of  what  use 
is  this  to  any  body,  hemmed  in  here  by  these  mountains  ?"  So  I 
very  quietly  made  myself  content,  and  sat  down  to  the  primitive 
meal — a  carpet  of  heather  for  our  table,  and  huge  precipices  yawn- 
ing close  by,  with  high,  broken  mountains  that  pierced  the  sky 
grimly  looking  down  upon  us. 

Tliere  is  philosophy  in  every  thing,  especially  in  eating.  The 
world  eats  too  much.  Learn  to  live — to  live  as  we^ ought.  A 
little  food  well  eaten  is  better  for  any  one  than  much  badly  eat- 
en. Our  pleasures  have  a  higher  relish  when  properly  used. 
Thus  we  thoroughly  enjoyed  our  food,  and,  after  a  short  nap, 
started  on  the  return  journey. 

As  we  passed  along,  I  noticed  several  large  rocks,  thousands  of 
tons  in  weight,  that  had  evidently  fallen  from  the  tops  of  two 
lofty  mountains,  the  detached  portions  corresponding  in  shape  to 
the  parts  vacated.  Every  where  was  seen  the  effects  of  the  freez- 
ing of  the  water  that  percolates  into  the  crevices.  The  tremen- 
dous workings  of  Nature  in  these  mountains  of  Greenland  during 
the  arctic  winter  often  result  in  what  many  of  the  inhabitants 
think  to  be  earthquakes,  when,  in  foct,  the  freezing  of  water  is 
alone  the  cause !  In  descending,  we  encountered  several  little 
clear,  babbling  brooks,  innumerable  flowers,  and  shrub-fuel  in 
abiindance.  Peat  was  also  plentiful.  Fox-holes  in  numbers  were 
seen,  and  a  natural  canal,  with  an  embankment,  in  appearance 
much  like  the  levee  at  New  Orleans. 

On  arriving  at  the  beach,  which  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  we 
found  it  as  smooth  and  inviting  as  that  of  Cape  May.  The  limit 
of  this  beach  was  next  to  an  abrupt  bank  with  millions  of  broken 

E 


QQ  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

shells  upon  it,  and  covered  with  driftwood  ten  feet  above  high- 
water  mark.  One  piece  was  twelve  feet  long.  Here,  from  a  boat 
that  took  us  off,  we  heard  that  the  town  of  Holsteinborg  was 
much  alarmed  about  the  fire  up  in  the  mountain,  and,  from  what 
I  afterward  gathered  in  an  explanation  I  had  with  the  governor 
when  I  apologized  for  our  thoughtlessness,  it  was  evident  that  the 
Esquimaux  dreaded  the  loss  of  what  they  considered  their  best 
fields — not  woods — of  fuel.  Fortunately,  the  fire  went  out  in 
about  an  hour  after  its  discovery  by  the  people. 

It  was  on  this  Sunday  afternoon  that  I  heard  of  a  curious  cus- 
tom here.  The  dance-house  is  regularly  opened  after  4  P.M. 
The  people  go  to  church  in  the  morning  and  afternoon,  then  they 
consider  Sunday  to  cease,  and  amusement  begins.  I  went  to  the 
dance-house,  where  I  found  the  governor,  his  lieutenant,  Miss  Bli- 
lou,  and  Mrs.  Kjer.  Miss  Bulou  and  the  lieutenant  governoi- 
danced,  but  the  governor  has  not  for  years,  and  the  priest  and  his 
wife  never.  Sometimes  150  persons  are  crowded  into  this  dance- 
house. 

I  asked  the  governor  when  the  Sabbath  began.  He  replied, 
"  On  Saturday  evening,  and  ends  Sunday  at  -i  P.!M."  I  farther 
inquired  if  the  Esquimaux  were  at  liberty  to  work  after  that 
hour  on  Sundays,  lie  said,  "  No,  certainly  not."  "  Then  how  i 
it  the  government  dance-house  is  opened  for  balls  at  that  time?" 
said  I.  "Oh,  that  is  not  tvorkf"  responded  the  good  Governor 
Elberg. 

deferring  to  the  amusements  of  these  native  Greenlanders,  I  am 
led  to  speak  of  a  great  festival  that  occurs  hero  on  the  Danish 
king's  birthday,  and  is  general,  on  the  same  day,  throughout  all 
the  scttlemei  ts.  His  Danish  majesty  supplies  the  good  cheer,  and 
Europeans  as  well  as  Esquimaux  join  in  the  festivity.  It  is  a 
most  enlivening  scene,  as  the  accompanying  sketch  will  show. 
The  original  of  this  picture,  which  I  have  in  my  possession,  was 
drawn  by  a  Greenlander,  and  Mrs.  Kjer,  who  gave  it  to  me,  said 
it  was  an  admirable  representation  of  the  great  festal  day. 

On  another  occasion  I  visited  the  church  one  Sunday  morning, 
when  the  school-teacher — a  native  Esquimaux — preached  exceed- 
ingly well,  and  I  must  say  that  the  general  attention  given  would 
do  credit  to  people  any  where.  The  preacher  played  an  organ, 
and  went  through  the  whole  services  in  a  most  praiseworthy  man- 
ner. Indeed,  I  was  much  struck  with  the  great  advance  made  by 
the  native  inhabitants  of  Holsteinborg  in  Christian  and  general 


s 


^y 


i    . 


ADVANCED  EDUCATION  OF  THE  GREENLANDERS.  69 

educational  kiowledge.  Their  school  is  well  attended,  and  read- 
ing and  writing  are  carried  on  admirably. 

Very  few  persons  here  at  home  have  any  true  conception  of  the 
great  advance  made  in  education  by  these  Groenland-i!]squimaux. 
It  has  often  astonished  me  when  listening  to  the  apt  and  ready 
way  in  which  even  children  would  pronounce  some  of  their  ex- 
traordinarily long  words,  some  of  those  words  consisting  of  no 
less  than  fifty  Ifetters ! 

The  following  is  one  of  their  long  words,  but  not  the  longest: 

Piniagagssakardluarungnaerangat. 

In  all  the  trials  made  on  one  occasion  in  the  cabin,  by  both 
male  and  female — by  old  and  young — by  all,  I  found  none  but 
could  read,  and  read  well. 

I  was  surprised  to  see  the  rapidity — the  full,  clear  enunciation 
of  every  syllable,  with  which  they  read ;  and  one  little  Esqui- 
maux boy  seemed  to  exceed  the  rest,  though  all  did  well. 

Perhaps  I  can  not  give  my  readers  a  better  idea  of  this  than  re- 
printing a  small  portion  of  a  child's  First  Primer,  beginning  at 
the  alphabet,  and  giving  the  sound  of  each  letter.  The  explana- 
tion was  carefully  made  to  me  by  Miss  Biilou. 

The  Greenland-Esquimaux  alphabet  consists  of  twenty-four  let- 
ters, as  follows : 

A,  B,  D,  E,  F,  G,  n,  I,  J,  K,  K',  L,  M,  N,  0,  P,  R,  S,  T,  U,  V,  Y, 
M,0. 

The  sound  of  each  letter  only  varies  from  what  we  give  to  the 
same  in  the  following : 

G  is  ke;  H,  ho;  I,  c ;  J,  yogc ;  K,  qu ;  K',  qu ;  R,  er ;  U,  oo ; 
Y,  oe-i. 

The  following  is  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  Esquimaux: 

"Atiltarput  liillangmetottina!  Alckit  usfornarfille  I  Natega- 
vot  tikkiudle !  Pekkosltet  killangmifut  nunnamisaak  taimaikil- 
le!  Tunnisfigitt  udlome  pikfavtinuik !  Pisfaraunatta  akketfo- 
ravta,  pisficngillavuttuak  akketfortivut !  Usfcrnartomut  pisfitfa- 
raunatta,  ajortomidle  annautigut!  Nala>gaunerogavit  pirfarfou- 
nerudluttidlo  usfornarncrudluttidlo  isfokangittomut.    Amen." 

The  minister  Kjer  has  been  at  work  translating  "  Robinson 
Crusoe"  into  Esquimaux,  that  copies  might  be  printed  and  dis- 
tributed among  his  people  in  Greenland.  In  his  library  there 
is  an  Esquimaux  Bible,  and  every  thing  is  done  to  make  the 
natives  of  Ilolsteinborg  good  and  happy.     Dr.  Rink  has  also  is- 


70  ARCTIC  RESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

sued  some  useful  story-books  in  Esquimaux,  one  oS  which  books, 
and  also  a  copy  of  the  doctor's  famous  work,  the  governor  kindly 
gave  me. 

Dr.  Rink  is  so  well  known  by  repute  among  scientific  men  and 
others,  that  I  need  hardly  say  much  about  him.  Unfortunately, 
he  was  absent  at  my  visit,  but  I  wrote  to  him  about  the  object  of 
my  undertaking,  and  expressed  my  regret  at  not  having  had  the 
pleasure  of  an  interview.*   ■ 

The  following  are  a  few  interesting  particulars  I  obtained  from 
Governor  Elberg  concerning  this  eminent  man : 

At  the  time  I  visited  Ilolsteinborg  he  had  been  inspector  of 
South  Greenland  eight  years;  two  years  also  governor  of  Julian- 
na-haab.  lie  is  a  tall  man,  and  n  clever  student.  lie  was  cm- 
ployed  by  government  to  survey  Greenland,  and  received  during 
the  time  500  Danish  dollars  per  annum,  besides  found  in  every 
thing.  The  government  supplied  all  the  boats,  men,  and  pro- 
visions. 

Dr.  Rink's  wife  was  17  years  of  age  when  he  married  her.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Governor  Miiller,  who  in  1860  was  succeeded 
by  Governor  Elberg  over  the  Ilolsteinborg  District.  Mrs.  Rink 
was  born  at  Frederick's  Haab,  and  she  likes  Greenland  so  well 
for  her  home  that  she  would  be  sorry  to  leave  it. 

*  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  letter  I  sent  to  Dr.  Rink,  and,  os  it  explains  some 
matters  that  belong  to  my  movements  after  this  date,  I  here  append  it: 

"  IIoLBTEisiioBO,  Greenland,  July  24th,  ISflO,  on  board  the  barque  Oeorge  Ilenry. 
"Dr.  II.  Rink: 

"Deau  Sir, —  I'liongh  unacijuainted  personally,  yet  I  claim  to  know  you,  in  com- 
mon with  my  countrymen,  from  your  works,  as  a  man  devoted  to  the  increase  of 
knowledge  among  men,  esjiecially  tiiat  knowledge  i)ertuining  to  geograj)hy  and  science. 

"On  my  arrivol  hero,  July  7th,  it  was  with  sorrow  that  I  learned  from  Governor 
Elberg  that  you  had  departed.  The  pleasure  and  profit,  intellectually,  of  meeting 
one  so  exjMsrieneed  in  and  devoted  to  the  regions  of  the  North  would  have  been  in- 
calculable. 

"I  am  on  my  way  to  King  William's  Land,  ma  Frobisher  Strait,  Fox  Channel, 
Fury  and  Hecla  Strait,  Gulf  of  Boothia,  and  Boothia.  On  the  peninsula  of  Boothia 
and  King  AVilliam's  Land  I  ex])ect  to  spend  the  next  tiiree  years,  devnting  myself 
mainly  to  the  object  of  continuing  and  completing  the  history  of  the  Franklin  Ex- 
pedition. 

"I  am  satisfied  that  Frobisher  Strait  can  be  navigated,  though  no  vessel  has  yet 
penetrated  through  its  entire  length.  Fox  Channel,  on  the  east  side,  has  never  been 
navigated  beyond  latitude  (!0°  r>0'  N.  Fox's  Farthest,  and  Parry's  discovery  near 
the  eiLst  entrance  oi  Fury  and  Ihch  Strait,  should  be  connected  by  other  discoveries. 
I  am  hoping  to  complete  this  chain  of  discoveries  this  year. 

"Since  my  arrival  here  in  Greenland — 17  days  ago — I  have  received  the  most 
kindly  and  hospitable  attention  from  Governor  Ell)erg,  the  knowledge  of  which  will 
be  gratifying  to  my  countrymen  under  whose  auspices  I  am  making  this  voy.ige. 

"  Governor  Elberg  has  presented  me  with  a  copy  of  your  work  upon  South  Green- 
land.   This  is  another  valuable  acqtiisition  to  the  geographic  and  scientific  world. 
"Believe  me,  sir,  JIumani  nihil  alienum, 

' '  Respectfully,  C.  F.  Hall.  " 


GOVEKNOR  VISITS  THE  SHIP.  71 


CHAPTER  III. 

Visit  of  Governor  Elberg  to  tlio  Ship. — His  Pleasure  at  American  Progress. — Adnm 
Beck. — Another  Mountain  Ascent. — Tiic  "  Woman's  Hood." — A  grand  Scene.— 
Ball  on  board  Ship. — Sun's  Eclip?e. — Danger  to  Ship  dnd  Hoat  in  a  Gale. — Cu- 
rious Esquimaux  Feats. — Mishap  to  the  (leonje  Henry's  Windlass. — A  stirring 
Picture. — Kind  Assistance  of  the  Governor. — Preparations  for  Departure. — Let- 
ters Home. — Leave-taking. — Final  Adieus. — Farewell  to  Holsteinborg. 

Our  consort,  the  Rescue,  having  rejoined  us,  it  was  determined 
by  Captain  Budington  to  depart  for  his  whaling-ground  on  west 
side  Davis's  Straits  directly  all  the  necessary  preparations  about 
the  ship  were  completed  foi'^  navigating  among  the  ice.  Mean- 
while I  availed  myself  of  the  spare  time  to  frequently  visit  the 
shore,  and  take  rambles  in  the  neighborhood.  But,  though  I  find 
many  things  in  my  journal  that  might  be  worth  mentioning  at 
this  period,  yet  there  is  so  much  to  be  said  elsewhere,  when  I  ar- 
rive on  the  actual  field  of  my  labors,  that  I  must  now  hurriedly 
go  over  what  more  occurred  at  Ilolsteinborg. 

I  here  make  a  few  extracts  from  my  journal : 

^'■Juhj  lS(h.  This  afternoon  Governor  Elberg,  with  his  lieuten- 
ant and  wife,  visited  us,  and  were  welcomed  to  the  best  of  our 
power.  I  had  promised  the  governor  to  show  him  a  collection 
of  arctic  charts  brought  with  me,  and  also  the  British  Parlia- 
mentary Reports  of  the  Searching  Expeditions,  and  the  works  of 
Kane,  Franklin,  Parry,  etc.  He  was  greatly  interested,  making 
many  inquiries  that  I  took  pleasure  in  answering.  A  map  of  the 
United  States  much  attracted  his  attention,  and  he  asked  several 
questions  as  to  our  home  progress,  and  the  rise  of  new  cities,  in- 
ventions, etc.  Street-railroads  were  quite  new  to  him,  he  never 
having  heard  of  such  in  the  Old  Country. 

"  He  inquired  very  much  about  Mr.  Grinnell,  whose  name  is  as 
familiar  in  Greenland  as  it  is  in  the  United  States  and  Europe. 

"At  our  tea  the  governor  partook  of  two  dishes  which  he  then 
tasted  for  the  first  time  in  Greenland,  viz.,  fresh  lobsters  and  cran- 
berry preserves.  He  pronounced  them  '  very  good.'  American 
cheese — with  which  he  keeps  himself  well  supplied — he  also  likes 
much. 


72  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

"  After  an  intoichange  of  friendly  gifts — that  from  the  govern- 
or being  an  Esquimaux  suit  of  water-proof  sealskin — our  visitors 
took  their  departure,  and  were  rowed  on  shore  by  giils,  two  of 
them  very  neatly  attired  in  their  native  costume. 

"This  day,  in  presence  of  Captain  Budington  and  Lars  Klcijt, 
I  have  had  a  prolonged  conversation  with  Adam  Beck,  an  Es- 
quimaux who  acted  as  interpreter  for  Sir  John  Boss  in  1850-1. 
Lars  can  talk  much  more  fluently  the  English  language  than 
Adam  Beck.     The  latter  said : 

'"Captain  Phillips'  (who  was  with  Sir  John  Ross)  'speak: 
"Adam  Beck,  plenty  lie."  Beck  then  paused  a  moment  and  add- 
ed, "Sir  John  Ross  very  good  man — plenty  pray — plenty  eat — 
Carl  Petersen  no  speak  Husky  (Esquimaux)  quick — not  good 
Husky  speak — small  speak  Husky !"  ' 

"Adam  farther  continued,  and  said  'he  spoke  with  the  Esqui- 
maux at  Cape  York.  They  told  Itim  two  ships  had  been  seen 
there;  that  there  were  plenty  of  officers  and  men — much  butter 
and  much  bread — ships  go  all  to  pieces — all  die,  Adam  Beck 
speak  to  Petersen,  lie!  Petersen  speak  Adam  Beck,  lie!  Carl 
Petersen  plenty  lie — d — d  lie  !'' 

"  Both  Captain  B and  myself  arc  satisfied  that  Adam  Beck 

told  to  Sir  John  Ross  exactly  what  York-Cape  Esquimaux  told  to 
him.  It  seems  that  Commander  Phillips  and  Carl  Petensen  re- 
peatedly told  Beck  that  he  was  a  liar,  and  otherwise  abused  this 
now  almost  wreck  of  a  man  !  The  treatment  Adam  Beck  re- 
ceived from  Sir  John  Ross  is  remembered  kindly  to  this  day. 
Poor  Beck  was  the  instrument  of  communicating  fabrications  of 
Cape  York  Esquimaux,  and  for  this  English  historians  have  writ- 
ten him  down  as  the  author,  when  it  is  not  probable  that  he  was, 
taking  all  the  circumstances  into  consideration.  The  stigma  cast 
upon  him  burns  to  his  very  heart's  core  to  this  day.  Even  here 
his  name  is  blackened  by  the  public  notoriety  given  him  abroad 
as  the  man  who  fabricated  falsehoods  relative  to  the  destruction 
of  two  ships  near  Cape  Dudley  Digges,  and  the  violent  deaths  of 
the  officers  and  men  supposed  to  refer  to  Sir  John  Franklin's  Ex- 
pedition. 

"  Who  of  us  that  has  pot  done  an  act  worthy  to  be  so  gener- 
ally condemned  could  stand  up  against  this  tide?  Not  one  in  a 
thousand  would  do  it !  Adam  Beck  is  of  the  999.  He  lives  on 
the  '  don't  care  principle.'  He  has  lost  all  self-respect,  for  all  shun 
him.     I  pity  him  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.     Would  that 


EXCUR'^ION  TO  TIIK  "WOMAN'S  HOOD."  78 

cheering  words  like  those  Sir  John  Eoss  was  wont  to  utter  when 
living  could  be  whispered  in  his  ear.  Adam  Beck  is  wretched 
— poor.  He  has  an  old,  rickety,  leaky  boat,  that  some  one  has 
abandoned.  That  is  all  ho  has  in  this  world,  save  the  old  skins 
on  his  back  that  once  warmly  covered  him.  I  will  strive  to  show 
him  the  respect  due  as  a  human  being.  Though  he  be  an  out- 
cast, I  know  there  is  in  his  breast  a  chord  that  will  vibrate  to 
kindness  and  humanity. 

^^ /Saturday,  July  14:th.  This  afternoon  I  started  out  for  the 
mountains  accompanied  by  Adam  Beck.  I  had  with  me  swing- 
ing from  my  shoulders  my  sextant  and  my  glass,  and  in  my  pock- 
ets tape-line,  geological  hammer,  chisel,  and  other  traps. 

"After  some  distance  we  came  to  a  river  that  it  was  necessary 
to  cross,  but  for  three  miles  we  could  find  no  j)racticable  ford. 
At  length  I  determined  to  strip  and  wade  over,  carrying  my 
clothes  and  effects  on  my  head.  The  water  was  intensely  cold, 
and  two  winds  met  exactly  in  my  passage,  yet  the  scene  was  ex- 
traordinarily beautiful !  The  golden  sand  under  my  feet — the  dia- 
mond-shaped waves  caused  by  the  angular  breezes — the  arctic  sun 
pourii;f;  down  its  bright,  warm. rays  from  just  above  the  peaks  of 
Greenlf.nd's  mountains,  and  reflected  from  the  sparkling  waters 
around  me,  will  never  be  forgotten. 

"  On  landing,  I  replaced  my  clothes  and  trudged  along,  gather- 
ing many  beauteous  flowers  by  the  way.  Up,  up  the  mountain 
— steep  following  steep — away  we  went,  leaving  piles  of  stones — 
three  stones  in  each  (I  said  in  my  thoughts,  '  I^'aith,  Hope,  and 
Charity') — to  mark  the  way  on  our  downward  path,  for  our  route 
was  heretofore  unknown  by  the  native  or  the  European  popula- 
tion. At  length  we  came  to  the  top  of  ail  save  the  last  mountain, 
whicli  was  covered  with  snow.  Here  we  found  the  steepness  to 
be  such  that  for  a  moment  I  hesitated  ;  but,  determined  to  try  and 
ascend  yet  higher,  I  made  the  attempt.  Adam  looked  up  and 
shook  his  head,  actually  falling  to  the  ground,  saying  he  '  would 
not,  coidd  not  accompany  me  for  the  whole  world!'  Therefore  I 
liad  to  go  alone. 

"The  peak  I  was  about  to  climb  bad  the  name  of 'Woman's 
Hood,'  and  I  started  on  my  way  up  it  with  great  caution,  erecting 
piles  of '  Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity'  at  intervals,  to  guide  me  back. 
Every  now  and  then  I  was  obliged  to  desist.  The  sun  in  the 
northwest  was  pouring  on  my  back  compound  rays,  in  addition 
to  the  dazzling  glare  reflected  from  the  sea.     The  exprtion  made 

1^ 


74  AKCTIC  UKSKAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

was  immense.  Froquoiitly  I  bad  to  dig  out  cracks  between  the 
rocks  for  both  fingers  and  toes  to  hold  on  by.  1  dared  not  look 
around.  I  w.is  unable  to  do  any  thing  but  go  on.  At  length  1 
reached  a  lofty  pL>!,k,  and  to  my  dismay  beheld  another  beyond  it. 
with  a  precipice  between  I  For  a  moment  I  hung  to  the  roek 
upon  which  I  stood.  I  closed  my  eyes.  I  gradually  opened 
them,  with  shaded  hands.  I  gazed  upon  the  awful  depths  be- 
low^ ;  then,  glancing  round,  I  saw  one  of  Nature's  grand  and 
mighty  scenes.  Mountains  upon  mountains,  with  great  breaks 
between,  burst  on  my  view.  On  one  side,  the  lake,  river,  and 
valley  below,  with  Davis's  Straits  in  the  distance ;  on  the  other, 
peak  upon  peak,  to  some  five  hundred,  towering  upward  to  the 
skies.  Mount  Cunningham,  as  the  highest  was  called,  was  evi- 
dently inaccessible,  and  to  attempt  it  would  have  been  foolhardy. 
I  therefore  ended  my  journey  here,  erected  a  pile  of  stones,  and 
then  marking  my  name,  began  the  descent. 

*'  I  found  Adam  Beck  anxiously  waiting  me,  and,  in  due  course, 
together  we  reached  the  town,  where  I  procured  a  boat  and  got 
safely  on  board,  well  tired,  but  satisfied  with  my  journey." 

Adam  informed  me  that  his  children  had  no  food,  and  though 
I  had  paid  him  well,  and  did  for  him  all  in  my  power,  yet  that 
could  not  help  him  much.  The  next  day  he,  his  wife,  two  chil- 
dren, and  an  infant  at  her  back,  went  out  in  their  rickety  canoe  to 
try  and  catch  fish  for  "  poor  picaninnies." 

The  following  is  a  fac-sirailo  of  Adam  Beck's  writing,  when  I 
asked  him  to  put  down  his  name  and  date  of  birth,  which  he  did, 
adding  the  name  of  Sir  John  Boss. 

There  is  no  C  in  the  Greenland-Esquimaux  ali^habet,  as  already 
explained,  and  this  accounts  for  its  omission  in  the  above. 

On  the  16th  of  July  we  endeavored  to  return  the  many  kind- 
nesses shown  us  by  the  good  people  of  Ilolsteinborg  by  inviting 
them  to  a  ball.     The  lieutenant  governor  and  lady,  the  school- 


DANCE  ON  BOARD  SHIP 


75 


master  and  bis  wife,  with  their  inruiit  child  at  her  back,  and  most 
all  the  town,  were  there.  Never  did  the  Georyc  JItnri/  and  her 
crew  look  happier,  gayer,  or  present  a  more  varied  acenc.  With 
warm  hearts,  honest  faces,  and  a  ready  mood  lor  the  fullest  mirth 
of  the  hour,  did  we  enter  upon  the  festive  day. 

The  vessel  was  decorated  for  the  occasion,  and  it  would  amuse 
many  friends  and  readers  at  homo  were  1  able  to  give  at  length 
all  that  occurred.  In  this  merry  dance  the  Es(|uimaux  ditl 
their  very  best,  and  our  bold  sailor-boys  showed  themselves  not 
a  whit  behind.  Even  Captain  B ,  Mate  Rogers,  and  —  my- 
self! had  to  join  in  the  dizzy  whirl.  As  for  mysell",  1  was  pos- 
itively yorctc^  into  it.  In  a  jocular  yet  impressive  manner,  one 
and  all  insisted  upon  my  treading  on  "the  light  fantastic  toe." 
My  biinds  were  [>laced  in  those  of  two  Esquimaux  ladies,  when  I 
was  fairly  dragged  into  the  dance ;  and  dance  I  <lid  I  Yes,  1 
(lanced;  that  is,  I  went  through  certain  motions  which  in  courtesy 
to  me  were  called  dancing,  but  what  would  the  belles  of  my  own 


DANCS  ON  IlflABI)  THE  OKOBUB  UENBY. 


country  have  said  of  it?  I  blush  to  think.  However,  it  so  hap- 
pened that  nobody  was  hurt,  except  a  few  of  the  Holsteinborg 
maidens,  upon  whose  feet  I  had  rather  clumsily  trod,  and  who 


78  ARCTIC  ItKSKAHCII  KXl'KDITION. 

afterward  went  away  limping,  with  a  remark,  "That  man  may  be 
a  good  dancer"  (I  never  danced  before  in  all  my  life),  "but  he's 
very  heavy  and  far-reaching  on  his  pedals  1"  As  for  the  dau' 
rhir/,  lot  me  honestly  confess  that  1  felt  the  better  for  it.  I  am 
sure  that  many  evils  in  my  nature  then  found  a  way  out  at  my 
feet. 

After  the  ball  on  deck,  wo  succeeded  in  getting  up  some  mig- 
Ing  below  in  the  cabin.  Among  the  Esquimaux,  the  schoolmji.s- 
ter — who  is  really  a  capital  fellow — was  the  leader,  and  his  sing- 
ing was  truly  excellent.  There  was, however,  this  singularity  in  it 
— many  of  the  songs  were  to  church  tunes  I  On  our  side,  we  had 
the  national  airs  "  Hail  Columbia,"  "  Star-spangled  Banner,"  etc., 
which  were  vociferously  cheered.  While  the  latter  was  sung,  I 
raised  the  silk  emblem  of  our  beloved  country  that  was  given  me 
by  a  dear  one  at  home  to  erect  over  Franklin's  grave.  The  school- 
master, finding  in  "  Koss's  Second  Voyage"  some  Esquimaux 
verses,  first  read  and  then  sang  them  most  admirably. 

During  the  whole  evening  unbounded  happiness  reigned  on 
board.  Several  presents  were  made,  especially  to  the  schoolmas- 
ter's wife,  who  received  them  with  much  modesty  and  pleasure. 
At  length  the  party  broke  up,  when  our  visitors  departed  for  the 
shore  in  their  numerous  kyacks  and  family  boats. 

On  the  18th  of  July  occurred  the  sun's  eclipse.  The  view  in 
Ilolsteinborg  Ilarboi'  was  fine,  though  a  part  of  the  time  it  was  ob- 
scured by  clouds.  The  Esfjuimaux  were  generally  out  looking 
at  it  with  pieces  of  glass  dipped  in  water  ! 

A  singular  fact  in  connection  with  this  eclipse  was  told  me  by 
Mate  Kogcrs.  lie  said  that  ^^  during  il  he  and  his  party  could 
catch  no  fish,  though  before  and  after  it  there  was  abundance  ob- 
tained !" 

In  the  afterrioon  it  began  to  blow  a  gale,  und  at  the  time  nearly 
all  hands  were  away  on  some  duty  or  other.     Mate  Eogers  and 

men  were  catching  cod  in  Davis's  Straits,  and  only  Captain  B , 

myself,  and  the  young  .seaman,  John  Brown,  were  on  board.  The 
vessel  began  to  ^rag  her  anchor,  and,  though  we  contrived  to  drop 
another,  yet  we  were  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  rocky  cofist 
before  she  again  held  on.  The  three  of  us  worked  for  our  lives. 
John  Brown  put  forth  the  strength  of  a  giant,  and  myself  aiid  the 
captain  did  the  same.  Meantime  our  crew  on  shore  had  hastened 
oft'  in  a  boat,  and  the  governor  had,  in  the  midst  of  the  gale,  kind- 
ly sent  another  boat,  with  his  superintendent  and  men,  to  our  as- 


BOAT  ESCAPE  IN  A  8T0RM.  77 

flistnncc.  Those  enabled  uh  to  iimko  all  secure  on  board ;  but  our 
anxiety  now  was  no  longer  for  tlu>  .ship,  but  for  Muto  Kogcrs  and 
those  with  him  out  seaward  in  Davis's  Straits.  It  .seemed  impos- 
sible that  any  snuill  craft  could  survive  in  such  a  storm.  Our 
chances  had  been  doubtful,  even  in  a  good  harbor;  what,  then, 
had  wo  reason  to  expect  for  the  fate  of  those  in  a  boat  outside? 
Wc  felt  dismayed,  and  eagerly  were  our  glances  bent  in  the  di- 
rection our  poor  comrades  had  taken  in  the  morning.  Every 
glass  was  in  requisition  to  catch  a  siglit  of  them,  but  only  tbo 
mountain  waves  da.shing  again.st  the  rock-ribbed  coast,  and  send- 
ing their  spray  full  lifty  feet  in  the  air,  met  our  view.     At  last 

Captain  B ,  who  was  aloft,  cried  out,  "  There  they  come  I  there 

they  come!"  and,  sure  enough,  we  now  saw  them  at  a  distance, 
struggling  bravely,  perseveringly,  desperately,  amid  the  roar  and 
lieree  turmoil  of  the  wild  sea  threatening  to  ingulf  them.  Pres- 
ently they  emerge  from  the  confused  ma.ss  of  waters,  and  we  be- 
hold  them  more  distinctly.  Oh,  how  they  seem  to  strain  each 
nerve !  How  desperate  their  all  but  Herculean  efforts  to  try  and 
.save  themselves!  One  moment  they  appear  to  be  lost;  the  next 
wc  notice  them  again  struggling  on  as  determinedly  as  ever. 
"Pull,  pull,  for  dear  life's  sake,  my  good  men  !"  was  the  involun- 
tary cry  of  each  on  board;  and  right  bravely  did  they  pull.  On 
they  come,  thrown  about  and  driven  about  in  the  very  maddest 
of  revengeful  .sport  that  Ocean  and  Wild  Storm  could  devi.se.  At 
length  they  near  the  ship.  A  few  strokes  more — a  well-directed 
movement  of  the  steering-oar,  and  our  l)eaten  and  exhausted  com- 
rades are  alongside !  Hurrah !  thank  God,  wc  have  them  .safe  on 
board ! 

It  appeared  that  the  gale  had  overtaken  them  suddenly,  and  at 
first  they  attempted  to  land  upon  an  island,  but  this  the  breakers 
would  not  admit.  There  was  no  alternative,  therefore,  but  to 
make  for  the  ship  as  best  they  could.  In  doing  so,  a  heavy  sea ' 
struck  the  boat,  overwhelming  it  and  them.  But  now  was  the 
time  for  trial  of  the  will  and  arm  of  man  against  winds  and  waves. 
Brave  souls  were  in  that  boat,  and  Mate  Rogers  proved  himself 
full}  equal  to  the  occasion.  The  boat  was  cleared,  and  stern,  bold 
hearts  defiantly  pulled  her  onward  to  the  ship,  which  they  finally 
reached,  utterly  worn  out  by  tLeir  fearful  exertions.  Now  that 
they  were  safe,  all  their  power  was  gone.  A  v^hild  could  have 
overpowered  the  whole  together.  Wet,  cold,  and  enfeebled,  their 
case  required  immediate  attention.     Dry  clothing,  warm  drink.s, 


78 


ARCTIC  KESEARCII  EXPEDITION. 


£111(1  stimulants  were  at  once  supplied ;  and  thus,  witb  careful  treat- 
ment, they  soon  recovered. 

At  10  P.M.  the  gale  had  died  away  to  a  calm,  and  we  all  re- 
tired to  sleep,  completely  exhausted  with  our  bodily  and  mental 
labors  of  the  past  few  hours. 

About  this  time  I  enjoyed  a  rare  sight.  One  of  the  Esquimaux 
turned  summersets  in  the  ivaier  seated  in  his  lojach!  Over  and 
over  he  and  his  kyack  went,  till  we  cried  "Enougli !"  and  yet  he 
ivet  only  his  hands  and  face  /  This  is  a  feat  performed  only  by  a 
few.  It  requires  great  skill  and  strength  to  do  it.  One  miss  in 
the  stroke  of  the  oar  as  they  ])ass  from  the  centre  (when  their 
head  and  body  are  under  water)  to  the  surface  might  terminate 
fatally.     No  one  will  attempt  this  feat,  however,  unless  a  com- 


EligUIMAUX  KKAT— A   HUMMEriHET. 


panion  in  his  kyack  is  near.  The  next  feat  I  witnessed  was  for 
an  Esquimaux  to  run  his  kyack,  while  seated  in  it,  over  another. 
Getting  some  distance  off,  he  strikes  briskly  and  pushes  forward. 
In  an  instant  he  is  over,  having  struck  the  upturned  ]ieak  of  his 
own  kyacl:  nearly  amidships,  and  at  right  angles,  of  the  other. 
These  feats  were  rewarded  by  a  few  plugs  of  tobacco. 

The  day  after  the  gale  we  tad  a  mishap  on  board  that  threat- 
ened to  prove  serious,  and,  as  it  was,  it  detained  us  some  days 
longer  in  ITolsteinborg.  Ouv  anchors  fouled,  and,  in  trying  to 
get  one  of  them,  the  windlass  gear  broke. 

At  this  time  our  deck  was  crowded  by  the  crews  of  both  ves- 
sels, and  Esquimaux  men,  women,  and  children,  besides  some  dogs 


GOOD  CHARACTER  OF  THE  GREENL ANDERS.       79 

I  had  purchased  for  my  future  sledge  traveling.  These  together 
presented  a  remarkably  stirring  picture,  while  the  howling  of  the 
dofs,  the  sailors  singing  in  chorus  as  they  pulled  on  the  ropes, 
with  the  varied  voices  of  Americans,  Esquimaux,  French,  Dan- 
ish, and  Dutch,  made  a  confusion  of  tongues  somewhat  akin  to 
Babel. 

By  noon  all  attempts  to  get  the  anchor,  now  the  windlass  was 
defective,  proved  vain.  It  was  therefore  decided  to  call  upon  the 
o-overnor  and  ask  him  for  his  blacksmith  to  aid  our  Sterry  in  re- 
pairing the  gear.  Permission  was  instantly  granted,  but  the  in- 
jury done  was  of  such  a  nature  as  to  require  days  to  make  it 
good.  The  following  day,  however,  we  succeeded  in  hoisting  up 
our  faithful  anchor,  and  it  was  then  determined,  as  soon  as  the 
windlass  was  ready,  to  sail  for  the  west  or  opposite  side  of  Davis's 
Straits. 

While  pulling  on  the  ropes  side  by  side  with  Esquimaux,  I  was 
strongly  reminded  of  the  opinion  many  civilized  persons  have  of 
their  savage  and  cruel  nature.  Why,  instead  of  that,  they  are 
glorious  good  fellows.  As  for  eating  a  man  up,  they  would  soon- 
er let  a  hungry  man  cat  them  out  of  all,  without  saying  a  word, 
unless  it  was  "Welcome,  stranger!  as  long  as  I  have,  you  shall 
share  with  me."  This  is  just  their  nature.  The  time  I  was  at 
ilolsteinborg  I  saw  much  of  the  inhabitants,  and  my  opimon  as 
to  their  honesty,  good-nature,  good-will,  and  genuine  hospitidity 
is  .strong  and  unmixed.  They  possess  these  virtues  to  an  em- 
inent degree.  The  vices  so  prominent  and  prevalent  in  more  civ- 
ilized communities  are  all  but  unknown  here.  The  test  they  were 
put  to  on  board  the  George  Iknrij  was  enough  to  satisfy  any  man 
tluit  they  are  honest.  Numbers  of  Esquimaux,  of  all  ages  and  of 
both  sexes,  were  almost  constantly  on  board,  yet  not  the  slightest 
tiling  was  missed  by  any  of  us.  We  never  thought  it  necessary 
to  "  keep  an  eye"  on  this  or  that,  though  their  desire  for  any  of 
our  trinkets  was  ever  so  great.  Wherever  we  placed  an  article, 
there  we  found  it. 

Among  other  incidents  well  remembered  of  my  sta_>  nt  Ilol- 
steinborg, I  must  not  forget'  the  garden  attached  to  Governor  EI- 
berg's  house.  He  was  very  proud  of  this  garden,  though  there 
was  but  little  in  it.  One  evening  he  took  me  there.  The  radish- 
es and  turnips  looked  flourishing,  but  they  were  diminutive  in  the 
ext  -eme.  Those  I  tasted  were  good,  I  relished  them  exceeding- 
ly, tops  and  all. 


80  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

I  have  mentioned  purchasing  here  some  dogs  for  sledge-work. 
They  were  six  in  number,  and  the  governor  kindly  gave  me  his 
experience  in  selecting  the  best  animals.  I  bought  the  six  for 
about  ten  Danish  dollars,  equivalent  to  five  dollars  American. 
As  these  dogs  will  be  frequently  alluded  to  in  my  narrative,  I  here 
append  a  list  of  their  Greenland  names :  1.  Kingolc ;  2.  Barhekark ; 
3.  Ei — pronounced  Ee;  4.  Me-lak-tor — the  leader;  5.  Me-rok ;  6. 
Afe-luk,  or  Ivi-o-koo-lik,  afterward  called  Flora. 

For  their  food  I  purchased  over  two  bushels  of  little  dried  fish 
("capelins")for  twenty-five  cents. 

At  length  the  repairs  of  our  windlass  were  complete,  and  on 
Tuesday,  July  24th,  a  fair  wind  gave  notice  we  were  about  to  take 
our  departure.  Two  pilots — Otlo  and  Lars — came  on  board,  and 
as  some  of  our  men  had  gone  ashore,  the  colors  were  hoisted  for 
their  return.  All  was  excitement.  My  letters  for  home  had  to 
be  finished,  and  my  last  farewell  uttered  to  kind  friends. 

As  I  wrote  in  the  cabin  below,  there  was  at  my  side  a  beautiful 
bouquet  of  arctic  Jlowers  in  great  variety,  sent  me  by  several  ol' 
the  Ilolsteinborg  young  ladies ;  and  I  could  not  but  feel,  as  I  then 
expressed  in  my  letter,  astonished  at  the  profuseness  of  Nature's 
productions  in  that  part  of  the  world. 

Having  finished  my  letters  all  but  a  few  concluding  lines,  J 
was  soon  in  a  boat  rowed  by  Esquimaux,  and  carried  to  the  land- 
ing-place at  the  foot  of  a  hill  leading  to  the  town. 

As  we  nearcd  the  shore,  all  the  inhabitants — including  dogs 
and  goats  as  well  as  Esquimaux  and  Danes — covered  the  place. 
On  the  beach  were  the  Oeorge  Ilemijs  men  just  about  to  leave, 
having  paid  their  farewell  visit  to  the  warm  -  hearted  people. 
Hearty  cheers  from  the  boat  as  it  pushed  off  signified  most  clear- 
ly that  not  in  words  alone,  but  from  the  very  soul,  was  meant 
■' Farewell,  good  friends;  we  thank  you  for  your  kindness,  and 
will  remember  you  forever !"  To  this  the  Greenlanders  respond- 
ed by  similar  cheers,  and  I  am  sure  with  similar  feelings.  Indeed, 
the  parting  exhibited  several  scenes  worthy  of  notice.  Almost 
every  evening  during  our  stay  in  the  harbor,  our  "  boys"  had  been 
invited  to  dances  with  the  Esquimaux.  Acquaintance  ripened 
as  interviews  increased.  Friendships  became  firmly  established, 
and,  in  some  cases,  love  finally  ruled  supreme.  On  this  partin<! 
I  saw  more  than  one  pair  of  eyes  moistened.  I  say  it  to  no  one's 
discredit.  Many  eyes  of  our  pe'^ple  also  were  darkened  as  the 
gloom  of  separation  came  upon  ihem. 


FAREWELL  TO  HOLSTEINBORG.  81    ^ 

I  hastened  up  to  the  governor's  house  with  my  letters.  He 
and  his  deputy  met  me,  and  I  was  heartily  pressed  to  enter.  Ev- 
ery one  knew  of  our  early  departure,  and  numerous  boats  full  of 
Esquimaux  were  seen  hastening  to  the  vessel.  But  my  own  feel- 
ings at  the  time  will  be  better  expressed  by  the  following  extracts 
from  my  private  journal : 

"  Seated  in  the  office-room,  I  added  a  few  words  to  my  corre- 
spondence home — to  my  dear  ones,  and  to  my  noble  friend,  Hen- 
ry Grinnell.  I  then  sealed  up  my  letters  and  gave  them  to  the 
governor,  who  kindly  offered  himself  to  carry  the  packet  to  God- 
haab,  which  place  he  soon  intended  to  visit,  and  from  whence  a 
government  vessel  was  to  sail  for  Copenhagen  in  September.  I 
was  then  invited  down  into  the  room  where  I  had  spent  many 
pleasant  hours  with  Governor  Elberg.  There  I  found  awaiting 
the  three  parting  glasses — one  for  me,  one  for  the  governor,  and 
one  for  the  lieutenant  governor.  Each  had  some  good  saying  to 
utter.  Blessings  must  and  will  follow  to  us  all  if  kindly  prayers 
can  avail.  With  all  my  heart  I  thanked  the  governor  for  his 
great  and  increasing  kindness  to  me  while  within  his  harbor ; 
ay,  more,  I  thanked  him  for  his  hosjntaliii/,  which  was  overwhelm- 
ing. 

"My  time  was  short.  The  lieutenant  governor  took  me  to  his 
doraicil.  Then  I  hastened  to  the  priest's,  to  bid  Mrs.  Kjer  and 
Miss  Biilou  farewell.  I  then  found  the  governor  had  ordered  his 
boat  to  take  me  on  board,  he  and  the  lieutenant  governor  intend- 
ing to  accompany  me.  The  ladles  walked  down  to  the  landing 
with  us,  where  I  expressed  a  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  again 
seeing  them  after  three  or  four  years  time  in  the  United  States. 
I  especially  promised  that  the  lady  who  sometimes  here  is  '  blue 
with  cold'  should  never  be  so  while  there.  A  warm — a  last  shake 
of  the  hand,  and  I  bid  them  an  affectionate  adieu.  I  was  then 
carried  away,  amid  the  sorrowing  hearts  of  many.     *    *    * 

"  On  the  7th  day  of  this  month  I  rejoiced  when  I  first  put  my 

^ut  where  I  was  now  bidding  farewell  in  tears.     Then  I  rejoiced 

that  God  had  hronrjht  me  in  safety,  that  I  might  put  mij  foot  upon 

arctic  ground.     Not  a  soul  did  I  know  in  the  whole  North.     In 

seventeen  days  I  was  acquainted  with  all  Holsteinborg.     I  now 

leave  it  with  regret.     I  sorrow  at  parting /yo??i  so  noble  a  people/ 
*    *    *    * 

"  Kyacks  in  large  numbers  danced  around  us  as  we  made  our 
way  to  the  ship.     I  remarked  to  the  governor  that  with  all  the 

F 


^     82  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

progress  in  ship  and  boat  building  of  civilization,  we  had  nothing 
in  way  of  rowing  with  which  we  could  equal  the  speed  of  a  ky- 
ack.  This  is  so.  One  Esquimaux  with  his  kyack  can  outstrip 
any  man  or  men  among  our  people — or  any  other  of  the  enlight- 
ened world — in  rowing  our  boats. 

"  When  we  got  on  board  they  were  heaving  up  the  anchor,  and 
had  nearly  succeeded  in  getting  under  way,  when,  to  the  general 
consternation,  our  windlass  broke  again  in  a  second  place.  Here 
was  a  dilemma.  What  to  do  was  for  a  moment  doubtful.  To 
delay  longer  would  be  almost  giving  up  the  voyage  ;  to  go  to  sea 
thus  would  be  unwise.  One  remedy  alone  was  open  to  us.  Ster- 
ry  declared  he  could  manage  it  if  we  had  the  screio-plate  and  cer- 
tain gear  in  the  blacksmith's  shop  that  had  been  used  in  the  re- 
pairs before.  It  was  left  to  mo  to  broach  the  subject  to  the  gov- 
ernor, and  afler  a  consultation  with  him  he  generously  granted 
what  was  desired.  A  boat  was  sent  ofi"  for  the  articles,  and  upon 
its  return  sail  was  made  on  the  ships.  A  last  leave-taking  in  the 
cabin  took  place,  and  finally  the  governor,  his  officials,  and  all  the 
good  people  of  Ilolsteinborg  left  us  under  repeated  cheers.  A 
few  minutes  later,  and  Otto  and  Lars,  the  two  noble  pilots,  also  de- 
parted, and  we  were  once  more  alone  to  ourselves,  the  Rescue  fol- 
lowing us. 

"After  our  friends  had  gone  I  watched  with  long  and  eager 
gaze  the  receding  mountains,  especially  the  one  I  had  ascended 
on  July  1-ith.  It  was  midnight,  and  the  northern  sky  flooded  in 
crimson  light — the  east  and  the  west  tinged  with  mellower  hue — 
the  long  ridge  of  mountains,  reaching  far  south,  and  far  north 
sharply  cutting  their  contour  upon  the  sky,  formed  a  glorious  pic- 
ture to  the  eye !  The  mountains  looked  black  as  Ei-ebus  in  con- 
trast with  the  red  and  glowing  clouds  that  were  behind,  so  that 
only  a  profile  could  be  taken  of  them.  As  they  faded  in  the  dis- 
tance, so  was  shut  out  the  very  spot  where  Ilolsteinborg  lay ;  but 
not  so  was  effaced  the  memory  of  it  and  its  generous  inhabitants 
while  life  exists  within  mc  1" 


"PERPETUAL  MOTION."  QS 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Crossing  Davis's  Straits. — Sea-sickness  again. — "Perpetual  Motion."— Changing 
Ap])earance  and  Movements  of  Icebergs. — Beautiful  Sunsets  and  Morning  Skies. 

Ucfraction. — Nature  on  a  Spree. — Distorted  Moon. — Mountains  "hanging  on 

a  Thread." — God's  living  Arches. — "Merrie  Dancers"  in  the  Sky. — Approach  to 

j^and. Fogs. — Another  Gale. — Desperate  Party  of  runaway  Seamen. — Horrible 

Tale  of  Starvation  and  Cannibalism. — Anchor  in  Kowtukjua  Harbor. 

The  first  day  or  two  after  our  departure,  I  had  a  repetition  of 
my  old  complaint,  sea-sickness.  Here  the  dogs  managed  better 
than  I.  They  could  walk  the  deck ;  /  was  unable.  Perhaps 
having  four  props  to  my  two  considerably  helped  them.  But 
the  first  night  out  we  had  a  terrible  shaking.  Davis's  Straits 
was  more  like  the  broad  ocean,  and  certainly  as  boisterous.  If 
this  Strait  and  Baffin's  Bay  were,  as  I  suggest,  called  "Davis  and 
Baffin's  Sea,"  then  could  its  billows  roll  high  as  the  heavens,  deep 
as  the  lowest  depths,  without  our  once  thinking  of  their  assum- 
ing to  be  what  they  arc  not. 

At  about  midnight  I  had  bid  farewell  to  Greenlo,nd,  and — to  my 
supper !  Talk  of  "  perpetual  motion  !"  Why  has  the  world  been 
so  long  in  seeking  out  so  simple  a  problem?  Ask  me — I  used 
to  say — ask  poor  sea-sick  me  if  I  believe  in  perpetual  motion ! 
A  ship  at  sea  is  jxrpetualhj  jumping  up  and  down,  which  motion 
would  run  a  saw-mill  —  is  perpetually  rolling,  and  this  would 
serve  to  turn  a  grindstone — and  is  perpetually  creaking,  see- 
sawing, pitching  forward,  and  swinging  backward. 

During  the  night  "  things  in  general"  got  capsized.  I  would 
not  like  to  swear  that  the  George  Henry  turned  a  "  summerset," 
but,  on  my  honor,  I  can  say  that  when  I  retired  to  my  berth,  an 
India-rubber  cup  lashed  firmly  on  my  writing-table,  and  holding 
a  beautiful  Greenland  bouquet  in  water,  was  the  next  morning 
emptied  of  its  contents,  and  every  flower  and  drop  of  water  scat- 
tered far  and  near,  though  the  cup  remained  in  its  position  I  Three 
half  reams  of  paper,. that  had  been  placed  securely  over  my  bunk, 
and  had  there  rested  quietly  all  the  previous  part  of  the  voyage 
from  New  London,  were  found  scattered  over  an  area  of  say  sev- 
enty-five feet.    One  heterogeneous  mass  presented  itself  to  all 


84 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


eyes  in  the  morning.  Medicine-chest  and  contents — guns  and 
ammuniticn — my  arctic  library  and  the  library  of  the  George  Hen- 
ry— geological  and  ornithological,  cetaceous  and  floral  specimens 
— sailors'  chests — magnetic  and  astronomical  instruments — pens, 
ink,  and  paper,  charts  and  maps,  etc.,  besides  two  human  beings 
— the  captain  and  myself — wrapped  in  deep  slumber  by  their  side. 
But  soon  out  of  all  this  chaotic  mass  we  produced  harmony  again. 
Things  got  into  their  places ;  and  I,  by  degrees,  mastered  my  sick- 
ness, and  was  the  man  once  more. 

On  July  27th  we  had  a  heavy  snow-storm,  and  soon  afterward 
the  land  on  the  west  side  of  Davis's  Straits  was  seen,  the  mount- 
ains covered  with  snow;  but,  owing  to  frequent  fogs  (sometimes 
it  seemed  to  rain  fog)  and  unsettled  weather,  we  could  not  near 
the  George  Henri/s  destination,  which  was  now  changed  to  a  place 
more  south  of  Northumberland  Inlet,  We  came  across  but  little 
ice,  except  hergs,  and  frequently  expressed  much  surprise  at  it. 
The  icebergs,  however,  were  numerous;,  and  many  of  them  deeply 
interesting — one  especially  so,  from  its  vast  height  and  odd  shape. 
I  say  "  odd,"  though  that  applies  in  all  bergs,  for  no  two  are  alike, 
nor  does  any  one  seem  long  to  retain  its  same  appearance  and  po- 
'  sition.     The  following  is  a  sketch  of  one  I  called  the  Belted  Ice- 


UtiLTEU  K'KIIKUU. 


GOTHIC  ICEBERG.  85 

berg;  but  ico  movements  are  as  mysterious  almost  as  the  mag- 
netic pole.  The  captain  told  me  that  he  had  known  two  vessels 
to  be  beset  near  each  other  in  the  ice,  and  in  a  few  days,  though 
the  same  ice  was  around  each  vessel,  yet  they  would  be  many 
miles  apart!  Bergs  have  been  known  to  approach  and  recede 
from  each  other  in  as  beautiful  and  stately  a  manner  as  partners 
in  the  old-fashioned,  courtly  dances  of  years  gone  by. 

Of  the  various  bergs  I  particularly  noticed,  a  few  descriptive 
words  may  here  be  said.  The  first  view  of  one  that  attracted  my 
attention  looked  as  if  an  old  castle  was  before  me.  The  ruins  of 
a  lofty  dome  about  to  fall,  and  a  portion  of  an  arched  roof  already 
tumbling  down,  were  conspicuous.  Then,  in  a  short  time,  this 
changed  to  a  picture  of  an  elephant  with  two  large  circular  tow- 
ers on  his  back,  and  Corinthian  spires  springing  out  boldly  from 
the  broken  mountains  of  alabaster  on  which  he  had  placed  his 
feet.  The  third  view,  when  at  a  greater  distance,  made  it  like  a 
light-house  on  the  top  of  pilcd-up  rocks,  white  as  the  driven  snow. 
It  took  no  great  stretch  of  fancy  to  finish  the  similitude  when  the 
sun  to-day,  for  nearly  the  first  time  during  a  week,  burst  forth  in 
all  its  splendor,  bathing  with  its  flood  of  golden  fire  this  towering 
iceberg  light-house  I 

Another  berg  I  could  not  help  calling  the  Gothic  iceberg. 


UO'l'IIIU   lUKUKBU. 


The  side  facing  me  had  a  row  of  completo  arches  of  the  true 
Gothic  order,  and  running  its  whole  length  were  mouldino-s, 
smooth  projections  of  solid  ice,  rivaling  in  the  beauty  of  all  their 
parts  any  thing  I  ever  saw.    The  architecture,  frieze,  and  cornice 


86  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXl^EDITION. 

of  each  column  supporting  tlio  arches  above  were  as  chaste  and 
accurately  represented  as  the  most  imaginative  genius  could  con- 
ceive. Here  and  there  I  saw  matchless  perfection  displayed  in 
the  curvature  of  lines  about  some  of  its  ornamental  parts.  Spring- 
ing out  from  a  rude  recess,  away  up  in  its  vast  height,  I  saw  a 
delicate  scroll,  which  was  quite  in  keeping  with  Hogarth's  "Line 
of  Beauty." 

As  I  was  gazing  upon  one  of  the  many  bergs  wo  passed,  it 
overturned,  and  burst  into  a  thousand  fragments ! 

Eelative  to  the  formation  of  these  icebergs,  Sterry — upon  whose 
authority  alone  I  mention  it,  and  who  is  entitled  to  his  own  the- 
ory upon  the  subject — told  me  that,  at  a  place  between  two 
mountains  in  Northumberland  Sound,  ho  once  counted  something 
like  a  hundred  strata  of  ice  that  had  been  deposited,  one  layer 
each  year.  They  were  of  various  thicknesses,  each  course  marked 
by  a  deposit  of  sediment  like  dirt.  lie  did  not  complete  count- 
ing the  number  of  layers,  as  the  height  would  not  admit  of  his 
doing  so. 

On  our  way  across  Davis's  Strait,  not  far  from  Cape  Mercy,  we 
passed  the  spot  where,  in  1856,  the  British  discovery-ship  Rrs- 
olulc  had  been  found  by  the  very  vessel  I  was  now  on,  the  George 
Henri/. 

I  have  just  been  describing  the  beauty  of  icebergs  as  seen  on 
our  way  across ;  let  me  now  attempt  to  picture  some  of  those  gor- 
geous sunsets  and  phenomena  of  Nature  we  witnessed.  I  extract 
from  my  diary  at  the  time : 

"Juli/  28lh.  This  evening  the  whole  horizon  has  presented  a 
most  beautiful  sight.  A  zone  of  rich  mellow  purple,  with  match- 
less tints  darting  upward  to  the  height  of  some  thirty  degrees,  met 
the  eye.  Then  all  at  once,  as  the  sun  disappeared,  the  purple  was 
replaced  by  a  deep  blue.  As  to  the  '  tints'  of  which  I  write,  I  am  at 
a  loss  to  describe  them.  Take  a  thousand  rainbows — stretch  them 
around  the  horizon — intermix  them — entwine  them — spin  and 
twist  them  together,  and  you  have  the  appearance  of  those  tints 
crowning  that  zone,  first  of  purple,  then  of  blue. 

"JuIySlst.  Strange  sights  to-night.  Looking  through  my  ma- 
rine glass  to  the  northeast,  when  the  sun  was  about  three  degrees 
above  the  horizon,  I  was  asto;<ished  at  the  view  before  me. 
Mountains,  islands,  icebergs,  and  the  sea  were  in  one  vast  confu- 
sion. From  the  sun  northerly  to  the  southeast,  wherever  I  turn- 
ed my  glass,  confusion  worse  than  things  confounded  met  my 


NATURE  ON  A  SPREE.  87 

sight.  A  little  reflection,  however,  brought  me  to  a  realization 
of  the  fact.  The  extraordinary  appearance  of  every  thing  at  and 
beyond  the  horizon  was  from  'refraction,'  so  called. 

"  We  speak  of  this  and  that '  looming  up'  at  home,  but  little  did 
I  think  what  it  signified  until  this  night.  Mountains  far  distant 
— mountains  whose  true  position  was  considerably  below  the  hor- 
izon— were  now  considerably  above  it,  and  icebergs  dangling  from 
t!ieir  tops  I  This  refraction?  It  was  Nature  turned  inside  out! 
Nature  turned  topsy-turvy  I !  Nature  on  a  Spuee  1 1 1  Yes,  Na- 
ture on  a  spree  I 

*'iiS  I  went  forward  I  was  met  by  many  of  the  crew  (those 
now  01"  their  first  voyage  to  these  regions),  who  called  my  atten- 
tion to  t-ome  icebergs  ahead  that  looked  just  like  'Bunker's  Hill 
Monument,'  only  much  higher.  A  few  moments  before,  I  had 
noticed  these  bergs  as  mere  pigmies.  Now  the  pigmies  had  be- 
come giants!  'Nature  on  a  spree'  had  given  to  mere  snowballs 
on  the  horizon  all  the  beauty  and  .symmetry  of 'Bunker's  Hill 
Monument,'  running  high  up,  in  alabaster  columns,  to  prop  the 
azure  sky ! 

"Soon  the  moon  came  rolling  up;  and  what  a2^hase  or  face  it 
showed,  with  its  wofully  distorted  countenance  1  I  took  my  Nau- 
tical Almanac  for  the  year  (1860),  and  there  found,  "  August  1st," 
the  sign  for  Full  Moon  !  The  large  round  circle  stared  me  in 
the  face.  There  could  be  no  mistake.  A  moon  '  as  big  and  round 
as  a  cart-wheel' — as  we  boys  used  to  say — should  be  the  aspect 
of  fair  Luna  in  the  heavens  this  night.  But  here  was  the  lising 
moon 'up  to  time,'  yet  where  was  the  full  moon?  The  moon  as 
it  ought  to  be  was  a  moon  somewhere  else,  not  here ;  for,  as  it 
ascended  above  the  horizon,  its  lower  limb  was  like  a  crushed  hat, 
then  as  a  drunkard's  face — fiery-red,  and  swollen  out  to  its  utmost 


DIHTOUTED  UOON. 


88  Ancaric  research  expedition. 

limit  of  expansion  I  Sketching  as  it  then  appeared,  the  preceding 
may  give  the  idea,  so  unnatural  was  tlie  goddess  as  slio  arose  from 
her  ocean  bed  to-night.  But  this,  however,  did  not  last  long.  A 
few  momenta  sufficed  to  carry  her  upward  in  her  regal  course  be- 
yond the  influence  of 'Nature  on  a  spree,'  and  a  short  time  after- 
ward, as  I  looked  again,  I  found 

"  '  How  eolnily  gliJing  through  the  dark  blue  sky, 
Tho  midnight  moon  iiscends.' 

^^ August  6lh.  Going  on  deck  this  morning,  found  Nature  again 
on  a  spree.  I  have  been  observing  its  working  for  two  hours.  1 
will  record  some  of  its  phcnon?en'.i. 

"  When  I  first  observed  tho  unnatural  appearance  of  the  bergs, 
sea,  and  islands  toward  tho  southwest,  the  morning  sun  was  ten 
degrees  high,  and  shining  br'ghtly.  The  barometer  then  stood 
29.35  inches,  the  thermometer  41'',  wind  blowing  moderately  from 
southwest.  Looking  to  windw  rd,  I  saw  the  toj)  of  a  distant  berg ; 
then  all  at  once  a  snow-white  spot,  not  larger  than  a  pin's  head, 
appeared  in  tho  clouds  hanging  directly  over  tho  berg.  In  a  few 
seconds  it  enlarged  to  the  size  of  an  Egyptian  pyramid  inverted. 
At  every  roll  of  the  vessel  this  resplendently  white  pyramid 
seemed  to  descend  and  kiss  tho  sea,  and  then  as  often  ascended 
again  to  its  celestial  throne. 

"  Dioptrics,  the  science  of  refracted  light,  may  satisfactorily  ac- 
count for  all  this,  but  I  very  much  doubt  it.  Some  land  that  was 
seventy-five  miles  distant,  and  the  top  of  it  only  barely  seen  in  an 
ordinary  way,  had  its  rocky  base  brought  full  in  view.  The 
whole  length  of  this  land  in  sight  was  the  very  symbol  of  distor- 
tion. Pendent  from  an  even  line  that  stretched  along  the  heav- 
ens was  a  ridge  of  mountains.  'Life  hangs  upon  a  little  thread,' 
but  what  think  you  of  mountains  hanging  upon  a  thread?  In  my 
fancy  I  said,  if  Fate  had  decreed  one  of  the  sisters  to  cut  that 
thread  while  I  witnessed  tho  singular  spectacle,  what  convulsions 
upon  the  land  and  the  sea  about  us  might  not  have  followed? 
But  Nature  had  an  admirable  way  of  taking  down  these  rock 
giants  hanging  between  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  Arch  after 
arch  was  at  length  made  in  wondrous  grandeur  from  that  rugged 
and  distorted  atmospheric  land ;  and  if  ever  man's  eye  rested  upon 
the  sublime,  in  an  act  of  God's  creative  power,  it  was  when  ho 
arcuated  the  heavens  with  such  a  line  of  stupendous  mountains ! 
Between  these  several  mountain  arches  in  the  sky  were  hung  ice- 
bergs, also  inverted,  moving  silently  and  majestically  about  as  the 


BEAUTIFUL  SUNRISE.       •  80 

8ca-currents  drifted  those  along  of  which  they  wore  the  images. 
In  addition  to  all  tliis  there  was  a  mall  of  water,  ho  it  apjjeared, 
far  beyond  the  u.sual  horizon.  This  wall  seemed  alive  with  mer- 
ry dancers  of  the  most  fantastic  figures  that  the  imagination  could 
conceive,  and  its  perpendicular  columns  were  ever  playfully 
changing.  Oh,  how  exquisitely  beautiful  was  this  God-made  liv- 
ing wall !  A  tliousand  youthful  forms  of  the  fairest  outline  .seem- 
ed to  be  dancing  to  and  fro,  their  white  arms  intertwined — bodies 
incessantly  varying,  intermixing,  falling,  rising,  jumping,  skip- 
ping, hopping,  whirling,  waltzing,  resting,  and  again  rushing  to 
the  mazy  dance — never  tired — ever  playful — ever  light  and  airy, 
"•raccful  and  soft  to  the  eye.  Who  could  view  such  wondrous 
.scenes  of  divine  enchantment  and  not  exclaim,  '  O  Lord,  how 
manifold  are  Thy  works !  In  wisdom  hast  Thou  made  them  all ; 
the  earth  is  full  of  Thy  riches !' 

'■'■August  8th.  The  sunrise  this  morning  was  fine.  Long  before 
the  sun  came  to  the  horizon  the  clouds  were  all  aglow !  They 
were  in  long,  narrow  belts,  one  overtopping  another,  the  lower 
edges  of  all  visible  and  pendent,  reflecting  the  crimson  of  the 
sun's  rays.  To  attempt  to  paint  the  beauty,  the  glory  of  this 
scene,  either  by  nnj  pen  or  by  the  pencil  of  any  mortal  artist, 
seemed  to  mc  like  a  sacrilege.  God  often  shows  to  the  world  His 
power  and  goodnes.s,  but  seldom  does  lie  beautify  earth  for  man 

to  completely /trZ  it  is  heaven  before  him !" 

******* 

Our  progress  toward  the  harbor  we  wished  to  reach  was  very 
slow.  At  length,  on  July  30th,  we  were  within  three  miles  of 
"Sanderson's  Tower,"  on  the  west  side  of  entrance  to  Northum- 
berland Inlet;  but  as  it  was  late,  and  the  wind  unfavorable,  we 
had  to  go  seaward  for  the  night.  The  following  day  head  winds 
and  calms  still  retarded  us,  and  wc  were  now  also  anxious  for  our 
consort,  the  Rescue,  she  having  parted  from  us  a  short  time  previ- 
ously. The  place  wc  wanted  to  reach  was  called  by  the  Esqui- 
maux Ookoolear,  now  named  by  me  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  the 
anchorage  being  in  about  latitude  63°  20'  N.  For  several  da}  s 
we  had  been'  struggling  against  strong  breezes,  and  on  the  2d  of 
August  we  had  only  about  six  miles  more  of  southing  to  make ; 
but  a  very  thick  fog  again  came  on,  and  once  more  wc  had  to 
stand  off  to  sea. 

On  the  4th  we  were  not  far  from  Ookoolear,  and  occasionally 
liopes  arose  that  we  might  reach  an  anchorage  before  night.    But 


90  ARCTIC  RESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

it  was  not  so,  A  dozen  times  was  the  ship  headed  for  our  har- 
bor, and  as  often  were  we  baffled  by  the  fog.  Sometimes  it  would 
disperse,  leaving  the  heavens  bright  and  warm ;  then  would  our 
gallant  barque  be  swiftly  plowing  the  deep  toward  the  wished- 
for  haven.  Suddenly  the  fog  again  descended,  enveloping  us  in 
the  gloom  of  niglit,  so  that  we  could  not  see  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
any  direction,  and  then  once  more  would  the  vessel's  course  have 
to  be  arrested.  So  it  continued  all  day,  and  toward  evening  the 
annoyance  was  increased  by  a  heavy  gale.  Of  course  there  was 
no  alternative  but  to  run  off  the  land  to  sea,  and  accordingly  it 
wa.s  done. 

The  next  day,  when  the  weather  moderated,  we  made  sail  back 
toward  our  harbor,  and  at  8  P.M.  we  were  near  the  same  position 
as  on  the  -Ith,  still  more  than  thirty  miles  distant  from  where  we 
had  to  go.  Fogs  then  encircled  us,  and  thus  we  were  till  the  fol- 
lowing day,  when  more  clear  weather  appearing,  Oookoolear  was 
seen,  and  ahead  of  us  were  observed  "  Sterry's  Tower,"  "  Rogers's 
Island,"  and  "  Sarah's  Island." 

As  we  were  standing  in  to  the  land,  the  Jiesciic,  under  good  sail, 
was  discovered  away  near  the  mountains. 

At  this  time  a  circumstance  occurred  that  startled  myself  and 
all  on  board  beyond  measure.  I  will  relate  it  from  my  journal 
as  I  find  it  recorded  at  the  time. 

*'  Tuesday,  August  llh.  After  dinner  I  had  gone  and  perched 
myself  up  in  one  of  the  whale-boats  hanging  over  the  ship's  side, 
for  the  purpose  of  viewing  the  mountain  scenery  as  we  passed 
along,  and  also  sketching.  I  had  my  marine  glass  with  me,  and 
during  an  interval  when  the  fog — whicb  now  and  again  settled 
upon  us — disappeared,  I  swept  the  horizon  all  around.  As  I  look- 
ed easterly,  my  eye  caught  a  strange  black  sail.  Directing  the 
captain  and  mate's  attention  to  it,  they  examined,  but  could  not 
make  out  what  it  was.  At  length  we  decided  that  it  was  a  whale- 
boat  with  dark-colored  sails,  and  approaching  us.  Nearer  and 
nearer  it  came,  though  yet  far  off;  for  when  I  had  first  seen  it,  re- 
fraction had  made  the  small  sails  loom  up  higher  even  than  those 
of  a  300-ton  vessel.  By  this  time  every  one  on  board  was  anx- 
iously looking  to  the  strange  boat,  wondering  what  it  was,  com- 
ing from  a  direction  seaward.  After  watching  it  more  than  an 
hour,  we  noticed  that  the  sail  was  taken  down,  and  soon  afterward 
we  lost  sight  of  the  boat  entirely.  In  vain  our  glasses  were 
pointed  in  the  direction  she  was  last  seen.    Nothing  could  be  ob- 


THE  RUNAWAYS.  91 

served  of  her,  and  many  began  to  think  we  had  been  deceived  by 
refraction ;  but  at  length  the  captain  excUiimed,  '  I  can  now  see 
the  boat,  though  a  mere  speck.  I  should  not  wonder  if  it^s  one 
of  my  own  left  here  on  the  last  voyage,  and  manned  by  Esqui- 
maux.' I  looked  long  and  attentively.  At  last  I  saw  the  flash 
of  oars  following  each  stroke,  as  the  dazzling  rays  of  a  western 
sun  fell  upon  the  uplifted  blades,  I  could  see  nothing  else  but 
these  oars,  and  to  uie  it  seemed  as  if  the  rowers  were  pulling 
quickly — desperately.  The  excitement  now  became  great  among 
lis,  especially  as  the  distance  decreased  between  the  boat  and  the 

ship.    Captain  B thought  it  was  an  Esquimaux  crew,  and 

Mr.  Rogers  said  the  men  were  while. 

"As  they  neared,  it  struck  me  that  the  rowers — now  to  be  seen 
more  clearly — might  be  some  shipwrecked  mariners  pulling  for 
dear  life  ;  and  to  ascertain  this,  the  ship  was  deadened  in  her  way. 
In  a  few  moments  more  the  strange  boat  was  near  enough  to 
make  her  crew  out  for  white  men,  nine  in  number;  and  directly 

they  got  alongside,  a  question  was  put  by  Captain  B as  to 

who  they  were.  The  steersman  promptly  answered,  '  Crew  from 
the  Ayisell  Gihhs,  of  New  Bedford.'  In  reply  to  another  question, 
he  said, '  We  are  from  the  north,  and  bound  to  the  south.'  This 
was  enough  to  satisfy  us  tluit  they  were  runaivays. 

"In  a  few  minutes  a  variety  of  questions  was  put  as  to  the 
number  of  ships,  the  whaling,  etc.,  in  Northumberland  Inlet,  where 
we  conjectured  the  Ansell  Qihhs  to  be ;  and  then  the  inquiry  was 
made  of  them,  *  You  are  runaways,  are  you  not  ?'  The  response 
immediately  was, 'Yes,  we  are!'  They  then  told  us  that  they 
bad  left  Kingaile^  in  Northumberland  Sound,  on  Saturday,  August 
2d,  at  11  P.M.,  and  had  thus  run  the  distance,  250  miles  to  where 
we  met  them,  in  less  than  three  days.  The  reason  they  gave  for 
deserting  their  ship  was  because  of '  bad  treatment  on  board,'  and 
'not  having  enough  to  eat.'  They  explained  about  this,  and 
added  much  more,  which  may  or  may  not  be  true.  At  all  events, 
thty  made  up  their  minds  to  start /or  the  United  Slates  on  the  first 
chance,  and  this  they  did  by  taking  a  whale-boat,  two  tubs  of 
whale-line,  three  harpoons  and  as  many  lances,  a  'conjuror' — that 
is,  a  portable  cooking  apparatus — two  guns  and  ammunition,  a 
small  quantity  of  provisions,  a  few  blankets,  and  other  trifling 
things ;  and  this  to  go  a  voyage  over  a  tempestuous  sea,  part  of 
it  often  full  of  ice,  and  along  an  iron-bound  coast,  for  a  distance 
of  say  1500  miles  1     However,  there  they  were  so  far.    One  in- 


92  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

strument — a  compass — only  for  navigation ;  no  sextant  or  quad- 
rant ;  no  one  in  the  boat  capable  of  taking  observations  had  they 
possessed  instruments,  and  without  food  enough  to  carry  them 
on.  The  chief  of  this  rash  crew  was  John  Giles,  a  '  boat-steerer,' 
which  means,  in  whaling  parlance,  one  who  has  charge  of  the 
boat  and  crew  when  out  whaling.  Only  two  of  the  company  had 
ever  been  to  sea  before,  and  those  two  had  been  on  whaling  voy- 
ages to  'Desolation'  Island  in  the  South  Seas.  They  were  all 
young  men — Americans  belonging  to  various  places  iu  the  East- 
ern States. 

"  When  Captain  B had  asked  several  questions,  the  chief 

of  these  unfortunate  men  modestly  supplicated  for  some  food,  as 
they  were  all  very  hungry.  This  was  immediately  responded  to 
by  the  captain  saying  '  Come  and  eat;'  but  at  first  they  hesitated, 
fearing  they  might  be  arrested.  But  hunger  prevailed,  and,  mak- 
ing secure  their  boat,  they  entered  the  ship,  and  fell  to  upon  the 
salt  junk  and  biscuit  like  hungry  wolves.  Never  before  did  I 
see  men  eat  with  such  avidity  and  relish.  To  them  it  was  a  feast, 
having  had  only  half  a  biscuit  each  and  one  small  duck  among 
the  whole  number  during  the  past  day. 

"I  found  that  nothing  would  alter  their  purpose  as  to  proceed- 
ing on  their  desperate  voyage.  They  meant  to  strike  for  York 
Factory  in  Hudson's  Bay ;  but  on  my  showing  them  a  chart  and 
the  course  to  Resolution  Island,  thence  across  Hudson's  Strait  to 
Labrador,  ihis  latter  course  was  decided  upon,  with  the  hope  that 
fishermen  might  pick  them  up. 

"  The  captain  kindly  gave  them  some  beef  and  pork,  powder 
and  shot,  and  a  chart.  To  this  I  also  added  some  ammunition 
and  caps. 

"They  remained  wnth  us  about  two  hours,  and  then,  after  de- 
ciding to  go  on,  instead  of  landing  for  the  night  (perhaps  they 
were  still  fearful  of  being  captured),  they  got  into  their  boat,  and, 
with  many  thanks  to  us,  started  on  their  perilous  voyage. 

"  I  watched  them  long  as  they  passed  away  from  us  bending 
to  their  oars.  It  was  9  P.M.  when  they  departed.  The  moon 
was  shining  brightly  in  the  east — the  alabaster  mountains  of  ice 
were  scattered  about  upon  the  darkening  waters — the  craggy 
rocks  sharply  cut  their  black  profiles  against  the  distant  sky,  and 
the  winds  were  gently  but  coldly  blowing  in  sad  harmony  with 
the  occasion.  As  they  vanished  from  my  view  I  said  to  myself, 
'Will  the  civilized  world  ever  see  these  desperate  men  again  ?    It 


LAST  SIGHT  OF  THE  RUNAWAYS. 


98 


is  next  to  a  miracle  if  so.    Ai-d  yet  what  lesson  do  they  teach 
me  ?     If  these  nine  men  can  undertake  such  a  voyage,  and  un- 


MY   LAbT   blUUl'  OF   TUK  HUMAWAV8. 


der  such  wretched  circumstances,  with  so  little  preparation,  why 
should  not  I,  having  far  better  means,  be  able  to  accomplish  mine? 
For  themselves,  I  added, '  God  be  with  them !'  I  know  not  how 
just  or  unjust  their  cause  may  be,  but  I  do  know  that  human 
life  is  now  at  stake,  and  my  sympathy  goes  with  them.' " 

Before  I  pass  from  this  strange  occurrence,  it  will  be  better  to 
give  the  sequel  of  their  history,  so  far  as  yet  known,  through  three 
of  the  wretched  crew  who  reached  Indian  Harbor,  Labrador.  The 
following  particulars  I  gleaned  at  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  on 
my  way  home  in  the  fall  of  1862. 

It  seems  that  a  Captain  Nathan  Norman,  who  docs  business  in 
Labrador,  and  is  also  a  magistrate,  encountered  the  survivors  of 
this  boat's  crew,  and,  hearing  their  talc,  demanded  from  them  a 
statement  in  writing;  whereupon  one  of  them,  Sullivan  by  name, 
drew  up  an  account,  the  original  of  which  is  in  my  possession. 
It  was  given  to  me  by  Robert  Winton,  Esq.,  editor  and  proprietor 
of  the  St.  John's  Daily  News,  through  C.  0,  Leach,  Esq.,  United 


94  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

States  consul  at  that  place.    The  following  is  a  verbatim  copy  of 
Sullivan's  written  statement,  made  in  the  fall  of  ly61 : 

"My  name  is  John  F.  Sullivan.  I  left  my  iii>me  in  South  Iladley  Falls,  Mass., 
about  the  Ist  of  March,  18G0,  for  Boston.  I  remained  in  Boston  until  the  20th  of 
the  same  month.  I  a])ijlicd  at  ditfercnt  oflBces  for  a  chance  to  ship ;  being  a  stranger 
in  the  place,  and  a  green  hand,  I  found  it  very  difHcult  to  get  a  berth  to  suit  me. 
At  last  I  got  a  little  discouraged,  and  that  day  signed  my  name  at  No.  172  Com- 
mercial street,  Boston,  and  left  for  New  Bedford,  Mass.  Next  morning  I  shipped  to 
go  aboard  of  tlie  ship  Daniel  Webster,  then  laying  at  New  Bedford,  but  to  sail  the 
same  day  on  a  whaling  cruise  to  Davis's  Straits,  to  Ikj  gone  18  months. 

"I  left  New  Bedford  in  the  Daniel  Webster  on  the  21st  of  March,  1800.  There 
were  forty  of  us  in  the  crew,  all  told.  We  had  very  rough  weather  for  many  days 
after  leaving,  which  caused  many  of  us  to  be  sea-sick  ;  I  suflFcred  from  it  about  three 
weeks ;  after  that  time  I  began  to  recruit.  There  was  nothing  hap])ened  of  any 
consequence  worth  mentioning  until  we  passed  Ca))e  Farewell,  about  the  last  of 
May.  After  that  we  had  quite  a  hard  time,  working  the  ship  through  the  ice ;  oc- 
casionally, however,  we  made  out  to  get  her  through,  and  came  to  anchor,  July  6, 
18G0. 

"We  spoke  many  vessels  going  in.  I  will  name  some  of  them:  the  Hannibal,  of 
New  London ;  the  Black  Eagle  and  Antcloiie,  of  New  Bedford ;  the  AnscU  Gibbs,  of 
Fairhaven ;  tlie  Pioneer,  of  New  London.  These  vessels  were  anchored  very  close 
to  one  another  in  the  harbor ;  the  crews  were  at  liberty  sometimes  to  pay  visits  to 
each  other ;  eoch  one  would  toll  how  he  was  treated  ;  several  complained  of  very 
bad  treatment,  especially  the  crew  of  the  Ansell  Gibbs;  they  were  planning  some 
way  of  running  away  for  a  long  time,  but  they  found  no  opportunity  till  the  4th  of 
August. 

"  My  shipmate,  whose  name  was  Warren  Dutton,  was  aboard  that  day,  and  heard 
a  little  of  the  conversation,  and  he  joined  in  with  them,  and  said  he  would  go,  and 
perhaps  one  or  two  more  of  hie  crew.  He  immediately  came  aboard  and  informed 
me;  and  he  pictured  every  thing  out  so  nice,  that  I  finally  consented  to  go  with 
him.  We  had  no  great  reason  for  leaving  our  vessel ;  we  could  not  complain  of 
very  bad  treatment  aboard ;  all  we  conld  comjilain  of  was  that  we  were  very  badly 
fitted  out  for  such  a  cold  climate ;  and,  after  wo  arrived  there,  hearing  of  so  many 
men  that  died  there  the  last  winter  of  scur\-y,  we  were  afraid  to  remain  there,  for 
fear  that  we  might  get  it.  We  thought  by  running  away,  also,  we  would  be  all  right; 
but  we  were  sadly  mistaken. 

"  After  it  was  agreed  upon  to  leave,  each  one  was  busy  making  preparations  for 
a  start.  I,  with  my  shipmate,  packed  what  few  things  we  thought  would  be  neces- 
sary inio  a  traveling-bag  which  belonged  to  me ;  we  then  crept  into  the  hold,  and 
filled  a  ."mall  bag  and  a  pair  of  drawers  with  hard  bread,  and  waited  for  on  o])por- 
tunity  to  hide  it  on  deck,  un'<nown  to  the  watch.  After  we  succeeded  in  that,  we 
nade  a  signal  to  the  other  crew  that  wo  were  ready.  It  being  boat*'  crew  watches 
aboard  the  Ansell  Gibl)s,  they  every  one  of  them  left ;  they  found  no  difficulty  in 
lowering  away  the  boat,  which  after  they  did  so  they  lowered  themselves  easily  into 
her,  and  soon  paddled  under  our  bows ;  we  then  dropi)ed  our  traps  into  her,  and, 
taking  with  us  two  guns  and  a  little  ammunition,  got  into  her,  and  soon  ])ulled 
around  a  small  point  out  of  sight  of  the  vessels.  The  names  of  the  crew  that  left 
the  Ansell  Gibbs  are  as  follows:  John  Giles,  boat-steerer,  John  Martin,  Hiram  J. 
Davis,  Williard  Hawkins,  Thomas  Colwell,  Joseph  Fisher,  and  Samuel  J.  Fisher. 

"At  U  o'clock  at  night,  on  the  4th  of  August,  we  left  the  vessels  in  Cumberland 


STARVATION  AND  CANNIBALISM.  95 

Straits,  latitude  65°  59',  about  five  miles  from  Penny's  Harbor.  Although  it  being 
a  little  foggy,  with  a  fair  wind  wo  stood  across  tliu  Straits.  Wlier  about  half  way 
across  we  dumped  overboard  a  tub  of  towline  to  lighten  the  boat  tome.  We  had 
nothing  but  a  small  boat-compass  to  guide  us ;  we  had  no  opportunity  of  getting  a 
chart  before  wo  left,  and  not  much  of  any  thing  else. 

"We  made  the  other  side  of  the  Straits  by  morning;  then,  by  taking  the  spy- 
glass, we  thought  wc  could  perceive  a  sail  in  cliasc  of  us,  but  we  soon  lost  sight  of 
her.  The  other  crew  were  dcjiending  mostly  on  us  for  bread,  as  my  slir])mate  in- 
formed them  wo  had  a  better  chance  to  get  it  out  of  the  hold ;  their  bread  lay  close 
to  the  cabin  ;  so,  what  bread  they  had,  with  ours,  would  not  exceed  more  than  twenty 
pounds.  Wu  all  saw  that  the  bread  would  not  last  long,  so  each  one  desired  to  bo 
put  on  allowance  of  one  biscuit  a  day  to  each  man.  Wo  hoped,  by  the  time  that 
was  gone,  to  reach  some  place  where  wo  would  find  helii.  We  made  a  very  good 
run  the  first  three  days,  sleeping  at  night  in  the  bo.-it;  on  the  fourth  day  out  we  fell 
in  with  the  barque  George  Henry,  Captain  Budington,  of  New  London.  He  asked 
us  aboard  ;  the  boat-steerer  acted  as  sjtokcsmun.  Tiie  captain  told  us  we  were  very 
foolish  to  leave  the  vessels  to  undertake  so  long  a  trip.  I  iMjlicvc  he  would  have 
taken  us  all  if  wo  wished  to  stay ;  but  as  we  had  left  a,  whaler,  wc  did  not  like  to  go 
on  board  another,  as  ho  \^as  also  going  to  remain  there  through  the  winter ;  so  we 
were  determined  to  push  along,  as  wc  had  been  foolish  enough  to  start  in  the  first 
place.  However,  before  we  left,  he  gave  us  a  small  bag  of  bread,  a  piece  of  salt  pork, 
and  some  ammunition;  uko  a  chart.  Wo  then  bade  him  good-by,  and  set  off  again. 
That  night  we  made  a  'lee,'  found  some  moss,  and  made  a  fire;  before  we  ran  in 
we  shot  a  small  duck,  whicli  made  a  good  stew  for  all  hands.  Two  days  after  this 
we  shot  a  white  bear;  he  was  in  the  water  when  wo  shot  him,  and  there  being  a 
heavy  sea  on  at  the  time,  we  could  get  no  more  than  his  hind  quarters  in  ;  them  we 
skinned — the  rest  we  could  not  save.  That  night  we  managed  between  us  to  cook 
it,  OS  wo  were  divided  into  watches,  two  in  each  watch  ;  by  doing  so,  we  could  watch 
the  boat  and  keep  her  with  the  tide.  We  kept  on  in  this  way,  always  tracking  the 
shore,  and  at  night  going  ashore  to  lay  on  the  rocks,  with  our  boat's  sail  over  us  for 
shelter. 

"Wo  had  very  rough  weather  in  crossing  the  Straits.  We  were  on  Resolution 
Island  four  days,  waiting  for  a  fair  wind  ;  we  got  it  at  last,  but  so  strong  that  it  came 
very  near  swamping  our  little  boat  nniny  times  through  the  night.  It  kept  two  of 
us  bailing  water  out  all  the  time,  and  wo  were  glad  to  reach  the  hind,  after  being  in 
the  boat  thirty  hours,  wet  to  the  skin.  What  bear's  meat  and  liread  wo  had  was 
most  gone  by  this  time ;  there  was  nothing  left  but  a  few  crumbs  in  the  bottom  of 
the  bag.  There  was  nine  parts  made  of  the  crumbs;  then  they  were  caked  off, 
each  man  taking  his  share. 

"On  the  IGtili  of  August  wc  made  Capo  Chidleigh;  on  tho  20th  we  divided  the 
last  crumbs ;  after  that  wo  picked  up  what  wo  could  find  to  eat.  We  found  a  few 
berries  and  mushrooms ;  we  sufl'ered  very  much  from  tho  cold,  very  seldom  having 
a  dry  rag  upon  us. 

"We  continued  on  in  this  condition  until  the  3d  of  September,  when,  to  add  to 
our  misfortune,  Williard  Hawkins  and  Hiram  J.  Davis  (who  wo  called  '  tho  doctor'> 
ran  away  from  us  that  night,  and  took  with  them  every  thing  that  was  of  any  use 
to  us;  they  even  took  the  boat's  compass,  and  left  us  in  n  miserable  condition,  with 
our  boat  broadside  on  the  beach.  It  being  tiieir  watch,  they  made  out  to  get  off. 
We  thought  it  was  useless  to  make  chase  after  them,  so  we  let  them  go.  It  then 
commenced  to  rain,  and  there  was  a  heavy  sea  rolling  in,  and,  weak  as  we  were,  we 
found  some  difficulty  in  shoving  tho  boat  off.     However,  after  a  hard  tug,  we  sue- 


96  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

ceciled,  and  then  pulled  outsomo  wnys;  wo  then  up  snil;  it  was  not  up  long  before 
it  blew  so  Ktrong  timt  itcnrricd  away  the  ninst.  Wo  then  ran  in  under  a  jib,  and 
made  a  Ico.  About  half  an  hour  after  wc  landed  my  shipmate  died  of  starvation. 
The  evening  ho  died,  Samuel  Fisher  proposed  to  cat  him ;  ho  took  his  knifo,  and 
cut  a  piece  off  the  thigh,  and  held  it  over  the  flro  until  it  was  cooked.  Then,  next 
morning,  each  one  followed  his  example ;  after  that  the  meat  was  taken  ofl"  the 
bones,  and  each  man  took  a  shore.  Wo  stopped  hero  three  days.  Wo  then  made 
a  start ;  but  the  wir.d  being  ahead,  we  were  obliged  to  put  back.  Hero  wo  stopped 
two  more  days.  During  that  time  the  bones  were  broken  up  small,  and  boiled  in  a 
pot  or  kettle  we  ha<'. ;  also  the  skull  was  broken  open,  the  brains  taken  out,  and 
cooked.  Wo  then  got  a  fair  wind,  but  as  we  got  around  a  point,  wo  had  the  wind 
very  fresli  off  shove ;  we  could  hardly  manage  the  boat ;  at  last  wo  drove  on  to  an 
island  sonic  ways  out  to  sea;  we  got  the  boat  under  the  lee  of  .'t;  but  the  same 
night  we  had  a  largo  hole  stove  into  her.  Being  unablo  to  haul  her  up,  we  were 
obliged  to  remain  here  eight  days:  it  was  on  this  island  they  tried  to  murder  mo. 

"I'hn  iliird  day  we  stojjped  here,  I  was  out  as  usual  picking  berries,  or  any  thing 
I  could  find  to  eat.  Coming  in,  I  chanced  to  pi'-'c  up  a  mushroom.  1  brought  it  in 
with  me  ;  also  an  armful  of  wood  to  keep.  While  kneeling  down  to  cook  the  mush- 
room, I  received  a  heavy  blow  of  a  club  from  Joseph  Fisher,  and  before  I  could  get 
on  my  feet  I  got  Ihrco  more  blows.  I  then  managed  to  get  to  my  feet,  when  Samuel 
Fisher  got  hold  of  my  right  arm  ;  then  Joseph  Fisher  struck  me  three  more  blows  on 
the  arm.  I  somehow  got  away  from  them,  and,  being  half  crazy,  I  did  not  know 
what  to  do.  They  made  for  me  again  ;  I  ke|)t  begging  of  them,  for  God's  sake,  to 
spare  my  life,  Init  they  would  not  listen  to  my  cries.  They  said  they  wanted  somu 
meat,  and  were  bound  to  kill  me.  I  had  nothing  I  could  defend  myself  with  but  n 
small  knife;  this  I  held  in  my  hand  until  they  approached  me.  Samuel  Fisher  was 
the  first  to  come  toward  me ;  he  hud  a  largo  dirk-knife  in  his  hand ;  his  cousin  was 
coming  from  another  direction  with  a  club  and  a  stone.  Samuel  came  on  and 
grasped  me  by  the  shoulder,  and  had  his  knifo  raised  to  stab  me.  I  then  raised  my 
knife,  and  stabbed  him  in  the  throat;  he  immediately  fell,  and  I  then  made  a  step 
for  Joe ;  he  dropped  his  club,  and  went  up  to  where  the  rest  was.  I  then  stooped 
down  to  see  if  Samuel  was  dead ;  ho  was  still  alive.  I  did  not  know  what  to  do. 
At  this  time  I  began  to  cry ;  after  a  little  while  the  rest  told  me  to  come  up ;  they 
would  sec  there  was  nothing  more  done  to  mo.  I  received  four  deep  cuts  on  the 
head ;  one  of  the  fellows  dressed  them  for  me,  and  washed  the  blood  off  my  face. 
Next  day  Samuel  Fisher  died  ;  his  cousin  was  the  first  one  to  cut  him  up ;  his  body 
was  used  up  the  same  as  my  unfortunate  shipmate's. 

"After  a  while  we  managed  to  repair  the  bo.it,  and  left  this  island.  We  ran  in 
where  wo  thought  was  main  land,  but  it  proved  to  bo  an  island ;  here  we  left  the 
boat,  and  proceeded  on  foot,  walking  about  one  mile  a  day.  At  last  wc  reached  the 
other  side  of  the  island  in  four  days ;  then  put  back  again  to  the  boat.  It  took  us 
four  days  to  get  back  again.  When  we  got  there,  we  found  the  boat  was  stove  very 
bad  since  wc  left  her.  Wc  tried  to  get  around  the  island  in  her,  but  she  sunk  when 
wo  got  into  her ;  wc  then  left  her,  and  went  back  again  to  the  other  side  of  the  isl- 
and, to  remain  there  until  we  would  die  or  be  picked  up.  We  ate  our  boots,  belts, 
and  sheaths,  and  a  number  of  bearskin  and  sealskin  articles  we  had  with  us.  To 
add  to  our  misery,  it  commenced  to  rain,  and  kept  up  for  three  days;  it  then  began 
to  snow.  In  this  miserable  condition,  we  were  picked  up  by  a  boat's  crew  of  Esqui- 
maux on  the  29th  of  Sei)tomber,  and  brought  to  Okoke  on  the  3d  of  October.  The 
missionaries  did  all  that  lay  in  their  power  to  help  us  along,  and  provided  ns  with 
food  and  clothing,  then  sent  us  on  to  Nain,  where  wo  met  'the  doctor,'  who  was 


AURIVE  AT  CORNELIUS  GHINNELL  BAY.  97 

picked  up  three  days  before  wo  wore.  Ho  reported  that  his  companion  died,  and 
told  nmiiy  ful.sc  sturieH  nftor  lie  was  jjickcd  up. 

"The  missionaries  of  Naiu  helped  us  on  to  Ilopcdalc;  from  there  we  were  sent 
on  to  Kihokok.  where  two  of  us  rcmuined  through  the  winter.  (Jno  sto]>ped  with  a 
planter,  nj'.ii'ed  John  Lane,  between  Nain  and  llopedalc;  the  doctor  stojjped  with 
John.  Walker  until  March,  when  he  loft  for  Indian  Harbor;  the  remaining  two,  Jo- 
soph  Fisher  and  Thomas  Colwcll,  also  Btu))ped  with  planters  around  Indian  Harbor. 
Mr.  Ik'll,  the  agent  at  Kibokok,  kept  two  of  us  until  wo  could  find  an  ojjportnnity  of 
leaving  the  coast.  Wo  left  his  place  about  tho  10th  of  July,  and  came  to  Macovic, 
waiting  a  chanco  to  get  off. 

"Captain  Duntan  has  b'-en  kind  enough  to  give  mo  a  passage;  my  companion  was 
taken  by  Captain  Hamilton,  of  tlie  Wild  Hover.  We  have  had  a  very  |)leasant  pas- 
sage so  far,  and  I  hope  it  will  continue  so. 

"Sir,  I  hojHS  you  may  make  it  out;  it  is  very  poor  writing,  and  was  written  in 
haste.  John  F.  Sullivan." 

III  addition  to  the  above,  Mr.  Leacli  kindly  furnislied  me  with 
the  following  information  in  a  letter  dated  Feb.  25tli,  18G8 : 

"  Mr.  Kenneth  M'Lca,  Jr.,  merchant  of  Newfoundland,  informs 
me  that  he  has  had  letters  from  the  missionary  settlements  on  the 
coast  of  Labrador,  in  which  they  say  these  men  conducted  them- 
selves '  shamefully.'  Instead  of  feeling  grateful  for  the  hospitahty 
they  received,  they  demanded  to  be  supported  with  the  privilege 
of  doing  as  they  pleased.  I  understand  one  of  them  still  remain- 
ed at  Labrador.  No  doubt  the  rest  have  shipped  under  assumed 
names,  feeling  ashamed  to  return  to  their  native  country." 

Soon  after  the  boat,  with  its  desperate  crew,  had  left  us,  we 
were  passing  one  of  the  channels  leading  to  the  long-sought  bay. 
This  bay  is  a  very  fine  sheet  of  water,  and  is  protected  by  "  Sa- 
rah's" Island  at  the  entrance.  Its  length  is  about  fifty  miles,  and 
its  width  six  miles.  On  entering  it  by  the  south  channel  we  were 
becalmed,  and  the  boats  were  set  to  work  towing  us  in ;  but, 
though  we  were  up  all  night,  next  morning  saw  us  still  at  some 
ten  miles'  distance  from  our  harbor.  At  this  time  a  perfect  flotilla 
of  boats  were  discovered  approaching  us.  They  were  six  whale- 
boats,  fully  manned,  five  belonging  to  a  ship  called  the  Black 
EiKjle,  Captain  Allen,  and  one  to  the  Rescue.  As  soon  as  they 
arrived,  quietly  greeting  us,  they  wheeled  in  line  ahead  of  our 
own  boats,  and  aided  in  towing  us  in.  An  interesting  scene  it 
was  before  and  around  us :  eight  boats  in  line,  pulling  the  ship 
onward,  with  brawny  arms  at  the  oars,  and  merry  voices  pouring 
forth  the  sailor's  songs  as  measured  and  uniform  strokes  gave 
even  time  to  the  movement ;  the  still  waters  of  the  deep  bay, 
the  perpendicular  rocks  by  our  side,  and  the  craggy  mountains 

G 


98 


ARCTIC  UESEAKOT  TXPElMTION. 


overhanging  our  heads,  their  peaks  reaching  up  as  if  to  kiss  the 
clouds ! 

At  noon,  August  8th,  1860,  we  rcaciied  our  anchorage,  and  at 
length  were  secure  in  the  harbor  we  lad  so  long  been  seeking. 
The  Rescue  had  anchored  before  us. 


:^>if>- 


lOEUEBO  ANU  KI-A. 


THE  INNUITS,  OH  ESQUIMAUX  99 


CHAPTER  V. 

Visited  by  the  NntivcH. — Brief  Account  of  somo  of  them. — A  very  ngeJ  Woman. — 
Oo-lii-jox-y  Ni-noo. — A  numerous  Family. — Ugarng  and  liis  thirteen  Wives. — 
Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito. — Kudlago's  Widow,  Kolt-er-jab-in. — "  Blind  George." 
— Excursion  on  Shore. — Anecdote  of  the  Greenland  Dogs. — Beautiful  Scenery. — 
How  Nature  splits  huge  Iloclcs. — An  Alabaster  Cave. — Arctic  Food. — First,  Taste 
of  Bear-meat. — Americanizing  Kim-rai-loo. — A  Blind  Man  threading  a  Needle 
and  mending  Clothes. — Astonishment  created  by  a  Magnet. — Ugarng  and  the 
Quicksilver. — Author's  narrow  Escape  from  Death. — Geological  Character  of  the 
Rocks. — Departure  for  and  Arrival  at  Field  Bay. — A  Cruise  in  the  iJesctw. — Ar- 
rival in  new  Waters. 

Previous  to  our  anchoring,  Captain  Allen,  Mates  Lamb  and 
Gardner,  joined  us  on  deck,  bringing  with  them  an  Esquimaux 
named  Ugarng,  and  others  of  his  people.  Several  women  were 
also  on  board,  dressed  in  the  peculiar  costume  of  the  West  Land 
natives ;  but  not  until  we  had  dropped  anchor  could  I  do  more 
than  give  a  passing  glance  at  these  strange-looking  figures.  The 
excitement  consequent  upon  arriving  in  a  new  place  was  naturally 
great  on  my  mind.  The  land  around  me — its  inhabitants,  its  rug- 
ged hills,  its  mountain  tops  covered  with  snow,  all  belonged  to  that 
especial  pan  of  the  northern  regions  connected  with  the  ultimate 
field  of  my  labors.  When,  however,  the  vessel  was  made  station- 
ary, and  the  greatest  excitement  had  abated,  I  could  better  exam- 
ine our  visitors,  and  never  shall  I  forget  the  first  impression  they 
made  upon  me. 

It  has  been  said  by  a  well-known  witty  writer,  now  deceased, 
when  referring  to  the  Esfiuimaux,  in  an  arctic  book  he  was  re- 
viewing, that  they  are  "singular  composite  beings — a  link  be- 
tween Saxons  and  seals — hybrids,  putting  the  seals'  bodies  into 
their  own,  and  then  incasing  their  skins  in  the  seals,  thus  walk- 
ing to  and  fro,  a  compound  formation.  A  transverse  section 
would  discover  them  to  be  stratified  like  a  rolly-polly  pudding, 
only,  instead  of  jam  and  paste,  if  their  laydrs  were  noted  on  a  per- 
pendicular scale,  thf^y  would  range  after  this  foshion :  first  of  all, 
seal — then  biped — seal  in  the  centre  with  biped — and  seal  again 
at  the  bottom.  Yet,  singular  enough,  these  savages  are  cheerful, 
and  really  seem  to  have  great  capacity  for  enjoyment.     Though 


100  ,         AllCTIC  RESEARCH  EXl'lCDITION. 

in  tho  coldest  and  most  comfortless  dciis  of  the  earth,  they  arc 
ever  ou  the  grin,  whatever  befa'.ls  them.  When  thoy  see  a  white 
man  and  his  kniekknaeks,  they  grin.  They  grin  when  they  rub 
their  noses  with  snow,  when  they  blow  their  fnigers,  when  they 
lubricate  their  hides  inside  and  out  with  the  fat  of  the  seal.  Tru- 
ly, then,  as  Sterne  says,  '  rrovidencc,  thou  art  merciful  I' " 

The  above  description  must  speak  for  itself;  but,  without  en- 
dorsing more  than  its  reference  to  the  good-humor  of  the  lisqui- 
maux,  I  must  say  that,  whatever  they  may  be  physically  and  so- 
cially, they  are  undoubtedly  a  kind-hearted,  hospitable,  and  well- 
disposed  race  of  beings.  On  my  first  meeting  with  them,  at  the 
time  I  am  writing  of,  in  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  I  was  much  struck 
by  their  peculiar  dress  and  good-natured  features.  The  women 
especially  attracted  my  attention,  and  I  could  not  but  think  of  old 
Ghnmes — "  that  good  old  man" — in  his  long-tailed  coat.  The  dif- 
ference, however,  in  the  coats  of  these  Esquimaux  women  and  that 
of  old  Grimes  is  that  they  do  not  button  down  Ixforc.  In  truth, 
there  is  no  button  about  these  ai'ctic  coats.  They  have  a  long, 
neatly-worked  flap  behind,  with  a  baby  pouch  on  the  shoulders, 
and  are  slipped  over  the  bead  like  a  frock.  But  a  full  descrip- 
tion of  their  dress  will  be  given  in  a  chapter  devoted  entirely  to 
the  manners  and  customs  of  those  singular  people. 

Among  the  visitors  on  board  when  we  anchored  were  a  few 
who  will  frequently  figure  in  my  narrative.  Ugarng,  who  has 
been  already  named,  was  a  very  prominent  character,  and  it  seems 
to  me  well  to  give  some  account  of  him  and  his  family,  especially 
as  the  history  of  most  all  the  Innuits  I  met  is  so  full  of  strange 
adventure,  and  so  indicative  of  their  peculiar  customs,  that  it  can 
not  fail  to  be  interesting.  The  particulars  were  gathered  only 
at  intervals  long  after  my  first  acquaintance  with  the  pai'ties. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write  there  lived  in  the  neighborhood 
of  my  explorations  a  very  aged  and  singular  woman  called  Oo- 
ki-jox-y  Ni-noo.  This  patriarchal  dame  was  born  on  an  island 
named  An-nan-ne-toon,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Hudson's 
Strait,  and  when  I  first  saw  her  I  believe  she  could  not  have 
been  less  than  one  hundred  years  old.  She  was  an  important 
personage  among  her  people,  and,  as  the  reader  will  find,  proved 
of  much  service  to  me  from  the  knowledge  she  had  of  Innuit  tra- 
ditions. » 

Now  this  woman  had  been  married  to  a  man  called  Pier-lcoo-ne- 
mC'loon,  who  had  also,  at  the  same  time,  a  second  wife,  Poor-loong- 


OO-KI-JOX-Y  NI-NOO.  101 

wong,  sister  of  Ookijoxy  Niiioo.  By  the  second  wife  he  bad 
three  ehiltlreii,  witli  whom  we  have  nothing  to  do.  Bvit  by  the 
former  he  hud  eight  sons  and  daughters,  and  at  length  died  in  a 
good  old  age,  leaving  his  other  wife  to  survive  all  her  own  chil- 
dren except  the  Ugarng  already  named. 

The  progeny  of  this  old  woman  was  as  follows: 

Ist.  A  daughter,  that  died  at  its  birth,  owing  to  an  accidental 
fall  previously  received  by  the  mother  while  playii.g  ball  in  the 
spring. 

2d.  A  daughter,  Tuu-ijer-nud-luon,  who  grew  up  to  womanhood, 
a  large,  strong  woman.  She  married  a  Piin-ma-iii,''  or  chief,  who 
was  eousidered  a  very  smart  Innuit.  After  many  years  she  had 
by  him  two  children,  and  at  the  birth  of  the  latter  she  died.  The 
infant  was  then  allowed  to  die,  bccau.se,  as  was  told  me,  "it  was 
impossible  to  take  care  of  it ;"  and  two  or  three  days  afterward 
the  husband  also  died.  With  regard  to  this  woman,  it  was  con- 
sidered among  the  Innuits  impossible  to  tell  which  looked  oldest, 
her  mother  or  herself. 

3d.  A  daughter,  called  Noo-lccr-picr-ung,  who  was  born  not  fjir 
from  Newton's  Fiord,  in  Frobisher  Bay.  She  married  a  man 
named  Oo-ijnmj,  and  these  were  the  parents  o{  E-hier-hinij,  a  per- 
son who  will  often  appear  as  a  very  important  character  in  my 
narrative.     The  mother  died  about  1852. 

Ath.  A  son,  Nviv-iver-kirr-tivff,  who  married,  first,  a  cousin  of 
Ebierbing's  wife,  the  intelligent  Tookoolito,  by  which  cousin  he 
had  a  boy;  secondly,  a  woman  called  E-ker-too-kong  ("Polly,"  as 
we  named  her),  by  whom  he  had  many  children,  who  all  grew 
very  fast  and  fat,  but  died  young.  He  died  before  his  wife,  and 
she  then  married  a  fine,  bold,  and — to  white  persons  as  well  as 
his  own  people — most  kindly-disposed,  humane  man,  christened 
by  us  "Bob" — his  Innuit  name,  King-ivat-che-ung.  The  wife  was 
a  half-sistor  to  another  good  but  afflicted  man,  called  Pau-loo-yer, 
or,  as  I  always  styled  him  from  his  loss  of  sight,  "  Blind  George." 
Of  him  I  will  speak  presently. 

The  fifth  child  of  the  old  woman  was  Ugarng^  whom  I  shall 
bring  forward  in  a  moment. 

The  sixth  was  a  daughter,  An-ner-sumg,  who  married  Mik-e- 
lung.  They  had  two  or  three  children,  but  one  of  them,  E-ter- 
loong,  a  little  boy,  cross-eyed,  was  almost  always  by  his  grand- 
mother's side,  and  was  evidently  regarded  by  her  as  a  pet. 

The  seventh  child  was  also  a  daughter,  Kood-loo-toon,  who  mar- 


102  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

ried  a  brother  of  one  "  Chummy"  (a  man  that  visited  the  Spates 
in  1861-2).  By  him  she  had  two  children ;  one  died  young,  and 
the  other  is  now  living  and  married. 

The  eighth  and  last  child  was  another  daughter,  Oo-yar-ou-ye- 
ring,  who  married  and  had  two  children,  a  boy  and  girl.  The 
latter  was  named  Oo-kood-lear,  and  I  was  well  acquainted  with 
her. 

These  were  the  children  and  grandchildren  of  old  Oo-ki-jox-y 
Ni-noo.     Now  let  me  turn  to  the  account 'of  Ufjarmj. 

This  man  was  born  at  or  near  Newton's  Fiord,  in  Frobisher 
Bay,  and  was  about  50  or  55  years  old.  From  his  early  days  he 
displayed  great  qualities  as  a  daring  and  successful  hunter.  Many 
of  his  well-attested  exploits  border  on  the  incredible,  so  marvel- 
ous did  they  seem.  Not  a  few,  possibly,  I  shall  be  able  to  relate 
farther  on.  Perhaps,  however,  not  among  the  least  of  them  may 
be  considered  the  fact  that  he  had  had  no  less  than  thirteen  wives ; 
and,  at  the  period  I  formed  his  acquaintance,  had  three  living 
with  him.  His  first  wife,  Akchur-c-7jou,  he  left,  long  before  she 
died,  because  she  bore  him  no  children ;  his  second,  Oo-soo-kong, 
gave  him  a  son  and  daughter;  both,  with  herself,  dead.  The 
third  wife  was  alive,  but  left  at  Padley.  Afterward  she  had  two 
children  by  another  man.  The  fourth  also  had  two  children  by 
another  man;  the  fifth  hung  herself  after  giving  him  a  daughter, 
now  14  years  old.  The  sixth — still  alive,  and  related  to  Tookoo- 
lito — had  no  children ;  the  seventh  was  Kun-ni-u,  whom  I  shall 
frequently  name.  She  likewise  had  no  children  up  to  the  time 
of  my  last  seeing  her;  the  eighth  was  Kou-nimg,  who  had  two 
children  by  another  man — the  children  now  grown  up  and  mar- 
ried. The  ninth  was  KoJc-kong,  or  Pun-nie,  his  present  second 
wife,  but  with  no  children ;  the  tenth  was  Ak-chuk-er-zJmn,  who, 
however,  left  him  and  went  to  live  with  Kooperneung  ("  Charley"), 
a  man  I  often  afterward  employed.  The  eleventh  wife  of  Ugarng 
was  Nihu-jar  ("  PolbJ^),  by  whom  he  had  a  child  called  Mcnoun, 
about  three  years  old  when  I  last  saw  it.  Nilcvjar  died  while  I 
was  up  thero.  She  had  been  the  wife  of  Blind  George,  already 
mentioned,  but  left  him  a  few  years  after  he  became  blind. 

Ugarng  was  a  remarkably  intelligent  man  and  a  very  good 
mechanic.  He  had  several  excellent  traits  of  character,  besides 
s»me  not  at  all  commendable. 

In  1854-5  he  was  on  a  visit  to  the  States,  and  among  his  remi- 
niscences of  that  visit  he  said  about  New  York,  "G —  d — !  too 


UGARNG.— "BLIND  GEORGE."— KOK-ER-JAB-IN.  103 

much  horse — too  much  house — too  much  white  people.  Women? 
ah  I  women  great  many — good !" 

I  now  bring  forward  another  man,  already  mentioned,  Pau-loo- 
yer,  or  "Blind  George."  Of  his  parentage  there  is  but  little 
known,  even  by  himself,  except  that  his  mother  hung  herself. 
He  was  born  about  1819,  and  when  young  the  Innuits  took  care 
of  him.  He  grew  up  and  became  one  of  the  first  Esquimaux  of 
his  place.  He  was  an  excellent  pilot,  greatly  attached  to  Ameri- 
cans, and  very  desirous  of  learning  their  language.  He  married 
the  Nik-u-jar  already  spoken  of,  and  by  her  had  three  children. 
The  first  was  born  in  the  spring  of ,  and  had  black  spots  cov- 
ered with  hair  on  its  body.     It  died  before  six  months  old. 

In  1852-3  he  became  blind  through  an  epidemic  that  took  off 
very  many  of  the  natives.  His  second  child  also  died ;  and  the 
third,  born  in  1856,  was  an  interesting  girl  called  Koo-1coo-ye)\ 

Nikujar  continued  with  her  poor  blind  husband  for  five  years 
after  his  affliction,  and  they  were  always  attentive  and  kind  to 
each  other.  But,  as  he  was  unable  to  work,  she  accepted  the  of- 
fer of  Ugarng  to  become  his  principal  or  family,  that  is,  household 
wife.  She  took  with  her  the  little  girl  Kcokooyer,  and  Ugarng 
became  partial  to  it,  and  as  he  was  a  bold,  successful  hunter,  gen- 
erally contrived  to  provide  for  all  his  household,  and  even  many 
more,  without  stint.  "George,"  though  greatly  attached  to  his 
child,  knew  it  was  for  her  advantage  to  be  with  her  mother,  and 
thus  allowed  her  to  go,  though  occasionally  seeking  for  her  com- 
pany with  him. 

I  shall  frequently  speak  of  this  afflicted  Innuit  in  my  narrative, 
and  therefore  have  mentioned  these  particulars. 

Another  person  to  be  referred  to  here  is  Kok-er-jab-in,  the  wid- 
ow of  Kud-la-go.  She  was  born  at  Kar-mo-wong,  on  north  side 
of  Hudson's  Straits,  probably  about  the  year  1814.  She  had  had 
three  husbands,  the  first  being  a  tall,  stout  man,  called  Koo-choo-ar- 
chu  ("Sampson"),  by  whom  she  had  one  son,  Ning-u-ar-jnng.  But 
this  husband  she  left  because  he  added  another  woman  to  his 
household.  Her  second  husband  was  An-you-kar-ping,  a  fine, 
powerful  man.  He  was  lost  by  the  upsetting  of  his  ki-a.*  When 
the  ki-a  was  found  it  was  broken  into  fragments,  and  it  is  thought 
by  the  Innuits  that  he  had  attacked  a  hooded  seal,,  which  in  re- 

*  The  Greenland  term  for  a  boat  or  canoe  containing  one  man  is  Ky-ack,  but 
among  the  Innuits  I  was  acquainted  with  Ki-a  is  the  word,  and  such  I  henceforth 
use. 


104:  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

turn,  ferociously  attacked  and  destroyed  him  and  his.  boat.  By 
this  husband  she  had  one  son,  often  mentioned  in  my  journal  as 
"  Captain."  Iler  third  husband  was  Kudlago,  who  had  also  been 
previously  married  to  a  woman  named  Ne-ve-chad-loo,  by  whom 
two  daughters,  Kok-er-zhun  and Kim-mi-loo,  were  born  to  him.  The 
first  of  these  was  a  pretty  young  woman,  aged  twenty-three,  and 
married  to  Shi-mer-ar-chu  ("Johnny  Bull"),  who  was  always  ex- 
ceedingly jealous  of  her.  Kimmiloo  was  an  interesting  girl  of 
about  sixteen  years  old.  By  Kok-er-jab-in  no  children  were  born. 
She  and  her  third  husband  did  not  get  on  happily  together.  On 
one  occasion  this  woman  was  nearly  dead  from  a  severe  dropsical 
complaint.  The  angeko  was  then  called  in,  and  his  wife's  brother 
undertook  to  perform  an  operation  for  her  cure.  This  he  did  in 
the  following  manner:  Ebierbing  held  Kokerjabin  while  the  op- 
erator, with  a  sort  of  lancet  having  a  blade  three  inches  long, 
stabbed  her  quickly  and  forcibly  in  the  abdomen.  Water  poured 
forth  copiously  and  soon  after  this  she  recovered. 

At  the  time  of  my  first  arrival  among  these  Innuits,  several  of 
them  were  in  different  places  hunting  and  fishing;  but  I  afterward 
became  so  well  acquainted  with  them,  and  was  on  such  familiar 
terms,  that  they  and  others  I  shall  introduce  seemed  almost  of  my 
own  family. 

But  I  will  now  proceed  with  my  own  personal  narrative. 

In  the  afternoon,  accompanied  by  Sterry,  Gardiner,  and  Lamb, 
I  went  on  shore.  There  I  visited  several  of  the  natives  in  their 
tuples — summer  skin-tents. 

The  honesty  of  this  people  is  remarkable.  I  noticed  on  the 
beach  coal,  wood,  four  tubs  of  whale-line,  tar,  oil-casks,  mincing 
machine,  coils  of  rope,  trying  kettles,  harpoons,  lances,  etc.,  all  left 
here  since  the  previous  fall,  and  yet  as  safe  as  on  board  the  ship ! 
Another  trait  of  their  character,  however,  is  not  at  all  commend- 
able. One  of  the  first  things  attracting  my  attention,  close  to  the 
tents,  was  the  skeleton  of  an  Innuit,  or  Esquimaux  woman,  just 
as  she  had  died  some  three  years  before !  She  had  been  sick,  and 
was  left  to  take  care  of  herself.  The  remains  of  her  tent — her 
skin  bedding,  her  stone  lamp,  and  other  domestic  articles,  were 
still  by  her  side.  This  inattention  to  the  sick  and  dead  is  a  cus- 
tom of  the  Esquimaux,  and,  in  another  place,  I  shall' again  refer 
to  it. 

"When  I  returned  on  board,  Kudlago's  wife  had  just  arrived. 
She  had  heard  on  shore  of  her  husband's  death,  and  at  once,  v/ith 


DOG  BARBEKAIJK.  1()5 

her  son  (the  daughter  not  arriving  till  next  day),  hastened  to  the 
ship.  Sorrowfully,  and  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  did  the  poor  Es- 
quimaux widow,  Kok-er-jab-in,  cuter  our  cabin.  As  she  looked 
at  us,  and  then  at  the  chest  where  Kudlago  had  kept  his  things, 
and  which  Captain  Budington  now  opened,  the  tears  flowed  fast- 
er and  faster,  showing  that  Nature  is  as  much  susceptible  of  all 
the  softer  feelings  among  these  children  of  the  North  as  with  us 
in  the  warmer  South.  But  her  grief  could  hardly  be  controlled 
when  the  treasures  Kudlago  had  gathered  in  the  States  for  her 
and  his  little  girl  were  exhibited.  She  sat  herself  down  upon  the 
chest,  and  pensively  bent  her  head  in  deep,  unfeigned  sorrow; 
then,  after  a  time,  she  left  the  cabin  with  hev  son. 

The  following  day  I  again  went  on  shore  for  an  excursion  up 
the  mountains,  "  Captain,"  a  lad  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  accom- 
panying me.  My  dogs  had  been  landed  immediately  upon  our 
arrival,  and  now  greeted  me  with  much  joy.  Poor  creatures,  how 
they  liked  once  more  to  bury  their  shaggy,  panting  bodies  beneath 
the  snow  !  They  skip,  they  run,  they  come  and  look,  as  if  grate- 
ful, in  my  eye,  and  then  bound  away  again  in  the  wildest  exuber- 
ance of  animal  spirits. 

I  have  before  mentioned  some  particulars  of  these  dogs,  and  I 
now  relate  an  anecdote  concerning  them  during  our  passage 
across  from  Greenland. 

One  day,  in  feeding  the  dogs,  I  called  the  whole  of  them  around 
me,  and  gave  to  each  in  turn  a  capelin,  or  small  dried  fish.  To  do 
this  ftiirly,  I  used  to  make  all  the  dogs  encircle  me  until  every 
one  had  received  ten  of  the  capelius  apiece.  Now  Barhehrrlc,  a 
very  young  and  shrewd  dog,  took  it  into  his  head  that  he  would 
play  a  wl^jte  man's  trick.  So,  every  time  he  received  his  fish,  he 
would  back  square  out,  move  a  iistance  of  two  or  three  dogs,  and 
force  himself  in  line  again,  thus  receiving  double  the  shave  of  any 
other  dog.  But  this  joke  of  Barbekark's  bespoke  too  much  of  the 
game  many  men  play  upon  their  fellow-beings,  and,  as  I  noticed 
it,  I  determined  to  check  his  doggish  propensities  ;  still,  the  cun- 
ning, and  the  singular  way  in  which  he  evidently  watched  me,  in- 
duced a  moment's  pause  in  my  intentions.  Each  dog  thankfully 
took  his  capelin  as  his  turn  came  round,  but  Barbckark,  finding 
his  share  came  twice  as  often  as  his  companions',  appeared  to 
shake  his  tail  twice  as  thankfully  as  the  others.  A  twinkle  in 
his  eyes,  as  they  caught  mine,  seemed  to  say,  "  Keep  dark ;  these 
ignorant  fellows  don't  know  the  game  I'm  playing.     I  am  con- 


106  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

founded  hungry."  Seeing  my  face  smiling  at  bis  trick,  he  now 
commenced  making  another  change,  thus  getting  three  portions  to 
each  of  the  others'  one.  This  was  enough,  and  it  was  now  time 
for  me  to  reverse  tlie  order  of  Barbekark's  game  by  playing  a  trick 
upon  him.  Accordingly,  every  time  I  came  to  him  he  got  no 
fish ;  and  although  he  changed  his  position  rapidly  three  times, 
yet  he  got  nothing.  Then,  if  ever  there  was  a  picture  of  disap- 
I  ointed  plans — of  envy  at  others'  fortune,  and  sorrow  at  a  sad  mis- 
fortune—  it  was  to  be  found  on  that  dog's  countenance  as  he 
watched  his  companions  receiving  their  allowance.  Finding  he 
could  not  succeed  by  any  change  of  his  position,  he  withdrew 
from  the  circle  to  where  I  was,  and  came  to  me,  crowding  his  way 
between  my  legs,  and  looked  up  in  my  face  as  if  to  say,  "  I  have 
been  a  very  bad  dog.  Forgive  me,  and  Barbekark  will  cheat  his 
brother  dogs  no  more.  Please,  sir,  give  me  my  share  of  capelins." 
I  went  the  rounds  three  times  more,  and  let  him  have  the  fish,  as 
he  had  shown  himself  so  sagacious,  and  so  much  like  a  repentant 
prodigal  dog ! 

This  dog  Barbekark  afterward  again  made  himself  remarkably 
noticed,  as  I  shall  have  occasion  to  relate.  He  shared  all  my  la- 
bors with  me,  and  was  here  as  my  companion  in  the  States,  until 
he  died  a  few  months  back. 

I  now  return  to  an  account  of  my  excursion  on  shore. 

The  day  was  bright  and  lovely  when  I  ascended  the  mount- 
ain. Beautiful  crimson  snow  lay  about  by  the  side  of  large  patch- 
es of  the  purer  white,  and  as  I  traveled  on,  my  heart  felt  as  light 
and  buoyant  as  the  air  I  breathed.  The  scenery  was  grand  and 
enchanting.  Two  or  three  lakes  were  passed,  one  of  them  half  a 
mile  long  by  the  same  in  width,  with  its  waters  at  a  t^perature 
of  38°,  and  as  clear  as  crystal,  so  that  the  bottom  could  be  dis- 
tinctly'' seen.  It  had  depp  snow-banks  all  around  it,  and  yet,  to 
my  surprise,  musquitoes  were  floating  on  and  over  its  surface, 
breeding  by  myriads.  Some  beautiful  falls  were  situated  here, 
walled  in  by  huge  mountains  and  their  fragments.  Many  of  these 
were  enormous  rocks,  apparently  capable  of  being  easily  set  in 
motion  by  a  man's  power  with  a  crowbar,  so  delicately  were  they 
poised  upon  each  other.  The  frozen  waters  of  winter  have  been 
doing  wondrous  work  in  throwing  down  these  mountains.  If 
water  can  find  a  crack  in  rocks,  they  are  sure  to  be  broken 
asunder. 

The  inventions  of  men  give  them  easy  power  to  split  rocks 


MOUNTAIN  EXCURSION.— BEAUTIFUL  VIEW.  107 

that  arc  massive  and  hard.  This  is  done  by  drilling  holes  and 
entering  steel  wedges,  which  are  acted  upon  by  slight  blows. 
Another  way  is  to  arill  deep  into  the  rock  and  charge  with  gun- 
powder. But  God  has //is  way  of  splitting  rocks  I  He  uses  the 
little  snow  and  rain-drops.  They  find  their  way  into  every  re- 
cess. Crevicea  are  at  length  filled  with  solid  ice.  They  arc  en- 
larged ;  chasms  now  yawn ;  another  winter,  and  down  from  their 
rude  heights  the  clifFs  fall,  making  the  earth  16  quake  in  her 
career" ! 

There  were  many,  very  many  rocks  that  would  be  cast  from 
their  places,  high  up  the  mountains,  on  the  next  spring.  A  per- 
son can  hardly  conceive  the  quantity  of  rock  that  is  lifted  from 
its  base  every  season  by  the  freezing  of  water. 

Never  can  I  forget  the  visit  I  made  on  this  excursion  to  the 
stream  that  runs  wildly  down  the  mountain's  side,  between  the 
first  and  second  lakelets,  ncav  Kbiv-tuk-ju-a — Clark's  Harbor. 

For  one  third  of  a  mile  the  stream  was  covered  with  a  huge 
pile  of  snow.  I  crossed  to  the  upper  part  of  this  with  my  Esqui- 
maux boy,  and  went  down  t»  the  stream  itself  to  slake  my  thirst. 
I  kneeled  and  drank  of  the  sparkling  waters.  As  I  Jooked  round 
before  rising,  what  did  I  see  ?  a  cave  of  alabaster !  snow-arch- 
es, numberless  and  incomparable !  At  a  point  where  several  arch- 
es commenced  to  spring  were  pendent  finely-formed  icicles,  from 
which  poured,  perpendicular  to  the  earth,  unbroken  streams  of 
water,  having  the  appearance  of  inverted  columns  of  crystal  sup- 
porting the  arches.  The  number  of  these  columns  was  great. 
Away,  far  down  the  cave,  through  which  the  stream  passed,  all 
was  dark — dark  as  Cimmerian  darkness. 

From  this  I  turned  my  eyes  upward.  Overhanging  my  head 
were  pinnacled  mountains  1000  feet  above  me.  Far  as  the  eye 
could  see  they  extended.  On  my  still  bended  knees,  I  thanked 
God  that  I  lived  to  behold  how  manifold  and  wonderful  was  the 
world's  creation.  None  but  God  and  that  untutored  Esquimaux 
saw  me  there,  amid  the  roar  of  that  mountain  waterfall,  offering 
up  this,  my  heart's  prayer ! 

While  there  I  gave  the  dogs  some  dinner  (capelins),  and  then 
had  my  own  along  with  the  Esquimaux.  A  good  appetite  made 
me  relish  the  sea-biscuit  and  Cincinnati  pork,  and  then,  after  rest- 
ing a  while,  I  began  the  return  journey.  I  had  ascended  to  a 
height  of  about  1500  feet  above  the  sea,  and  two  miles  from  the 
beach,  making  a  collection  of  various  geological  and  other  speci- 


108  AUCTIC  llESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

mons;  but  these  latter  I  unfortunately  lost.  On  my  way  down, 
ii  good  snow-slide,  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  on  an  anj^le  of 
50°,  carried  me  swiftly  on,  and,  in  due  time,  I  got  back  to  the 
tents,  where  a  score  of  Esquimaux  at  once  kindly  greeted  mi  . 
Away  from  all  the  rest,  seated  alone  among  the  rocks,  I  saw  Kud- 
lago'^s  widow,  weeping  for  the  loss  she  had  sustained.  Her  son  at 
once  went  and  tried  to  console  her,  but  she  would  not  be  comfort- 
ed, and  her  i^ricf  was  allowed  to  have  vent  unrestrained. 

The  next  day  we  had  for  dinner  salmon,  venison,  and  bear- 
meat!  It  was  then  I  took  my  first  lesson  in  eating  the  latter.  I 
found  it  passable,  with  a  taste  somewhat  akin  to  lamp-oil,  but  yet, 
on  the  whole,  good. 

A  few  days  afterward  I  made  another  excursion  ;  and  as  I  pass- 
ed on  my  way  up  the  mountain  steeps,  flowers  greeted  me  at  ev- 
ery step  I  took,  lifting  their  beautiful  faces  from  behind  the  gray 
old  rocks  over  which  I  was  passing.  At  length  I  reached  a 
height  beyond  which  I  could  mount  no  farther.  Under  the 
friendly  shelter  of  a  projecting  cliff,  I  sat  myself  down  amid  the 
most  luxurious  bed  of  sorrel  that  I  ever  saw.  I  made  a  good 
feast  upon  it,  and -in  ten  minutes  I  could  have  gathered  a  bushel, 
it  was  so  plentiful. 

While  here  I  had  a  look  around.  What  a  magnificent  picture 
was  before  me!  The  bold  mountains  across  the  bay,  witli  higher 
snow-capped  ones  behind  them;  the  waterfall  of  500  feet;  the 
George  Ilenrij^  the  Rescue,  and  Black  Eagle,  lying  at  anchor  be- 
neath the  shadow  of  those  mountains,  and  the  Esquimaux  village 
low  at  my  feet,  was  an  admirable  subject  for  a  sketch. 

I  seized  my  pencil,  but  paper  I  had  left  behind.  Still  I  was 
not  to  be  balked.  I  had  a  new  clay  pipe  in  my  mouth.  I  took 
this  pipe  and  inspected  the  bowl.  A  little  fancy-line  ran  down 
its  centre  opposite  the  stem.  This  line  would  serve  to  represent 
the  dashing,  foaming  waterfall  before  me;  the  plain  surface  on 
each  side  would  do  for  the  sketch.  This  I  made ;  and  such  as  it 
then  was  is  bere  presented  to  the  reader,  even  as  I  hoped  I  might 
be  able  to  do,  under  the  title  of  the  "  Pipe  Sketch." 

After  this  I  gathered  a  bouquet  of  flowers,  some  geological 
specimens,  and  returned. 

On  my  way  I  agaih  met  Kudlago's  widow  and  another  Esqui- 
maux woman.  As  we  passed  a  place  where  some  tents  had  for- 
merly stood,  Koher-jah-in  called  my  attention,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  to  the  spot  where  her  husband  had  his  tent  when  he  bade 


AMERICANIZING  KIMMILOO. 


109 


her  adieu  on  liia  visit  to  the  States  in  1859.    She  lifted  up  a  por- 
lion  of  ibo  back-bone  of  a  whale  which  was  bleaching  near  by,  and 


VIVE  BKETOII — OLAKK'H  IIARIIOlt. 

said  it  was  of  one  Kudlago  had  killed.  Ilcr  tone,  her  manner  as 
she  spoke,  was  truly  afTccting,  and  I  have  no  doubt  she  felt  deep- 
ly the  loss  she  had  sustained. 

On  August  11th,  among  the  Esquimaux  arrivals  was  Kudla- 
go's  idol — a  pretty  little  girl.  She  looked  sad  for  the  loss  of  her 
dear  father.  But  how  her  eyes  sparkled  in  the  afternoon  when 
several  things  were  produced  that  her  father  had  carefully  gath- 
ered for  her!  The  account  of  her  first  arrival  I  find  in  my  jour- 
nal as  follows: 

"Kimmiloo  has  just  been  Amcwcanized.     Captain   B 's 

good  wife  had  made  and  sent  to  her  a  pretty  red  dress — a  neck- 
tie, mittens,  belt,  etc. 

"  Mv.  Rogers  and  I,  at  a  suggestion  from  me,  thought  it  best  to 
commence  the  change  of  nationality  with  soap  and  water.  The 
process  was  slow,  that  of  arriving  to  the  beautiful  little  girl, 
whom  we  at  length  found,  though  decply-ind^eddcd  layer  after 
layer  in  dirt.  Then  came  the  task  of  making  her  toilet.  With 
'/  veri/  coarse  comh  I  commenced  to  disentangle  her  hair.  She  had 
but  little  that  was  long,  the  back  part  from  behind  her  ears  hav- 
ing been  cut  short  oft'  on  account  of  severe  pains  in  lier  head. 
How  patiently  she  submitted  to  worse  than  the  curry-comb  proc- 
ess I  had  to  use!  This  was  the  first  time  in  her  life  that  a  comb 
iiad  been  put  to  her  head.     Her  hair  was  filled  with  moss,  seal. 


110  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

and  reindeer  hairs,  and  many  other  things — too  numerous  to  call 
them  all  by  name.  Poor  thing  I  yet  she  was  fat  and  beautiful — 
the  very  picture  of  health.  Her  cheeks  were  as  red  as  the  blown 
rose.    Nature's  vermilion  was  upon  them. 

"  A  full  hour  was  I  before  getting  that  child's  hair  so  that  I 
could  draw  the  coarse  end  of  a  coarse  comb  through  it !  At  last 
that  job  was  completed.  Ilcr  little  fingers  quickly  braided  a  tag 
of  hair  on  each  side  of  her  head.  Then  I  gave  her  two  brass 
rings  (which  is  the  fashion  among  the  Esquimaux  women)  througlj 
which  to  draw  the  hair.  The  skin  trowsers  and  coat  were  thrown 
off,  and  the  red  dress  put  on." 

Many  Esquimaux  now  visited  us,  and  from  them  I  tried  to  ob- 
tain all  the  information  I  could  as  to  my  intended  journey  to- 
ward King  William's  Land.  I  also  discussed  the  question  with 
Captain  Allen,  of  the  lilack  Eagle,  who  I  soon  found  well  capable 
and  willing  to  advise  me.  It  was,  however,  too  late  in  the  season 
to  attempt  comincnchuj  the  journey  then,  and  this  all  of  those  with 
whom  I  conversed,  Esquimaux  and  white  men,  told  me.  1  had 
therefore  to  wait,  and  meanwhile  make  myself  well  accustomed 
to  the  sort  of  life  I  should  have  to  endure  while  actually  prose- 
cuting my  undertaking. 

A  day  or  two  afterward  I  was  showing  Kimmiloo,  Ookoodlear, 
and  Shookok  (pretty  little  Esquimaux  girls)  the  pictorial  illustra- 
tions in  a  number  of  the  Family  Bible,  when  "  Blind  George" 
came  on  board.  When  I  asked  him  his  name,  he  said,  in  Esqui- 
maux, "George — poor  blind  George,  as  Americans  call  me." 

"  What  is  your  Innuit  name  ?"  said  1.  "  Pau-loo-yer,"  was  the 
response  ;  and  then  immediately  added,  "  What  is  yours  ?"  I  told 
him,  and  after  repeating  it  several  times  till  he  had  pronounced 
it  correctly,  he  was  satisfied.  I  explained  that  the  prefix  "  Mr." 
to  the  "Hall,"  which  I  had  casually  given,  was  an  address  ap- 
plied to  men ;  whereupon,  soon  afterward  meeting  the  steward 
and  blacksmith,  and  hearing  them  called  by  those  terms,  he  at 
once  said  "  Mr.  Steward — Mr.  Blacksmith."  I  tried  to  explain 
the  difference  to  him,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  understood 
me.  lie  was  quick  to  perceive  mistakes,  and,  when  he  saw  an 
error  of  his  own,  had  a  hearty  laugh  over  it.  He  made  all  his 
clothes — sealskins;  and  the  way  he  threaded  his  needle  was  most 
amusing  and  singular.  He  took  the  eye  end  of  a  needle  between 
his  teeth,  bringing  the  needle  into  proper  position,  and  then  placed 
it  on  his  tongue  near  the  end.     He  next  brought  the  end  of  his 


BLIND  GEOUGE  AND  THE  MAGNET,  HI 

thread  toward  tho  cyo  of  his  needle,  and,  after  several  trials,  the 
thread  was  finally  drawn  through  the  eye  by  his  very  sensitive 
tongue.  lie  then  grasped  with  his  lips  and  teeth  the  end  of  the 
thread,  and  thus  the  needle  was  threaded!  I  have  seen  "Blind 
George"  thus  thread  his  needle,  time  and  again,  in  ten  seconds! 

Wishing  to  test  his  quality  as  a  tailor,  I  gave  him  one  of  my 
coats  to  mend  in  tho  sleeve.  It  was  full  of  rents,  but  to  only  one 
did  I  call  his  attention.  I  left  him  at  his  work  ;  and  being  mysell' 
afterward  busy  at  something  else,  I  had  forgotten  him.  When  I 
again  went  to  him  where  he  was  generally  seated  in  tiie  main 
cabin,  he  had  every  break  mended,  and  all  his  work  ivell  done! 

I  took  out  my  little  magnet  and  put  it  into  his  hands.  He 
passed  it  through  and  through  his  fingers,  and  then  I  placed  the 
armature  upon  it.  This  was  a  mystery  to  him.  The  Esquimaux 
exclamations  that  escaped  his  lips  were  numerous  and  amusing. 
I  then  took  the  armature  and  gave  him  a  sewing-needle,  bringing 
it  and  tho  magnet  together.  This  was  also  wondrous  to  him.  It 
was  many  minutes  before  he  became  satisfied  it  was  really  so. 
lie  would  pull  one  end  of  the  needle  off  the  magnet,  and  when  he 
let  go  it  would  fly  back.  The  approach  of  an  armature  to  a  mag- 
net, both  in  his  hands,  also  greatly  surprised  him.  As  they  came 
near  and  he  felt  the  attractive  power,  he  instantly  threw  them 
aside,  and  it  was  some  time  before  I  could  get  him  to  make  anoth- 
er trial.  Still  more  careful  was  he  the  second  time.  The  contact 
was  at  last  made,  and  made  quick  as  lightning,  but  just  as  quick 
did  he  drop  the  two.  Finding,  however,  that  he  was  not  injured, 
and  that  the  little  girls  were  enjoying  a  hearty  laugh  at  his  ex- 
pense— they  having  before  tried  it — he  at  last  succeeded.  I  next 
tried  him  with  a  paper  of  needles,  desiring  him  to  bring  the  miig- 
net  near  them.  He  did  so,  but  at  the  cost  of  my  time  and  pa- 
tience, as  I  had  to  pick  them  up  from  all  parts  of  the  cabin.  On 
discovering  that  the  needles  had  sprung  from  his  hand,  he  acted 
as  if  smitten  by  a  thunderbolt,  throwing  needles,  magnet,  and  all 
helter-skelter  away  !  and  still  more,  he  at  once  declared  I  was  an 
An-ge-ko  ! 

At  this  time  Ugarng  was  often  on  board  the  ship,  and  one  day 
I  was  much  amused  at  his  vain  attempts  to  pick  up  some  mercu- 
ry which  I  had  out  upon  a  sheet  of  white  paper.  The  metal  as- 
sumed a  globular  shape,  and  looked  precisely  like  shot  made  of 
tin.  Now  the  mercury  thus  presented  to  his  view  seemed  to  be 
quite  beyond  his  comprehension.     Generally,  an  Esquimaux  is 


112  ARCTIC  KESKAUCH  EXl'KUITION. 

stoical  under  nil  circumstances,  no  matter  how  startling  they  may 
be,  but  hero  was  something  that  completely  upset  his  cpuuiimity. 
After  nearly  half  an  hour's  attempt  to  understand  the  lively  sub- 
stance betbro  him,  and  to  grasp  it,  he  gave  up,  and  also  lost  his 
tein[)er,  lie  burst  out  in  some  broken  words,  like  oaths  he  had 
heard  on  board  shij),  declaring  the  d — 1  was  in  it,  and  nothing  else. 

A  short  time  after  our  arrival  at  this  anchorage  I  had  a  nanow 
escape  of  my  life.  It  was  most  providential.  No  other  arm  but 
the  Almiglity's  could  have  shielded  me  from  so  imminent  danger 
as  that  to  which  I  had  been  exposed.  In  the  afternoon  I  went 
down  seaward  for  the  purpose  of  examining  some  rocks.  I  had 
\,ith  mo  my  revolver,  pencil,  and  portfolio.  The  stratification  of 
these  rocks  was  very  remarkable,  and  for  several  rods  I  saw  a 
quart/2  vein  running  as  straight  as  a  line  N.N.W.  and  8.S.E.  Its 
dip  was  G0°,  and  in  thickness  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches.  Ev- 
ery where  around,  the  fallen  ruins  of  mountains  stared  me  in  the 
face.  I  was  perfectly  astonished  at  the  rapidity  with  which  huge 
rocks  had  evidently  been  rent  to  pieces.  I  also  saw,  standing  by 
themselves,  square  pillars  of  stone,  tiie  strata  of  which  were  com- 
pletely separated,  so  that  I  could  take  them  off  one  by  one,  as 
leaves  of  paper.  Some  were  an  inch,  half  an  inch,  two  inches,  and 
others  six  inches  thick.  Anxious  to  obtain  some  specimens,  I 
was  engaged,  with  my  knife,  digging  out  some  quartz  and  gold- 
like metal,  slightly  bedded  in  a  fresh -broken  rock  before  me, 
when,  as  I  leaned  forward,  the  revolver  fell  from  my  belt,  and  in- 
stantly exploded  close  to  my  liand  and  face !  For  the  moment  I 
thought  myself  dangerously  wounded,  so  great  was  the  pain  I  ex- 
perienced in  my  hand  and  forehead  ;  but  the  next  instant  I  ascer- 
tained that  the  ball  had  just  cleared  me,  merely  forcing  the  pow- 
der into  my  hand,  forehead,  and  round  my  right  eye.  It  was  a 
narrow  escape,  and  a  warning  thereafter  to  be  more  careful  how  I 
left  the  hammer  of  any  gmi  or  pistol  I  had  about  mo. 

The  rocks  about  here  were  indeed  very  r(>niarkable.  One  pile 
consisted  entirely  of  mica,  quartz,  and  feldsj)ar;  and  the  nearest 
approach  I  can  give  to  its  appearance  is  to  let  the  imagination 
conceive  that  the  feldspar  was  in  a  slate  lik^  P"tty,  and  worked 
up  into  various  uncouth  figures,  the  spaces  between  each  filled  up 
with  mica  and  quartz.  Then  would  there  be  an  appearance  sim- 
ilar to  what  I  observed  on  these  rocks,  only  that  ages  and  ages 
should  be  added  to  cut  out  deeply  the  mica  and  quartz,  leaving 
the  pCire  quartz  veins  almost  unaflectcd. 


STEUUY'S  TOWER. 


113 


On  tlio  14th  of  August  tlie  brig  Gmrgiana,  belonging  to  the 
same  owners  as  the  (Jwnjn  JJcnry,  arrived  from  some  other  whal- 
ing-ground. Thus  four  vessels  were  now  near  each  other,  the 
Black  Euijle,  Oeoryiana,  liesciie,  and  our  own ;  and  a  very  sociable 
and  agreeable  time  was  spent,  during  leisure  hours,  in  visiting 
each  other.  But  none  of  us  were  unnecessarily  idle.  Prepara- 
tions had  to  be  made  for  the  coming  winter,  and  for  whalc-fishing 
while  the  season  yet  lasted.  The  Black  Eagle  and  Oeorglana  had 
their  own  plans,  but  that  of  the  George  Ilcnry  was  to  visit  another 
and  smaller  bay  on  the  south  side  of  this  inlet.  Meanwhile  Cap- 
tain Budington  had  erected  a  stone  and  turf  house  for  the  benefit 
of  his  boats'  crews,  when,  as  was  intended,  some  of  the  men  should 
be  stationed  there  "  to  fish."  The  roof  was  made  from  timber, 
with  canvas  well  coated  with  tar  over  all. 

On  the  16th  wo  sailed  for  Nu-gum-mi-ukc,  the  intended  win- 
ter quarters  of  the  Oeorge  Henry  and  Rescue.  As  we  left  the  bay 
— which  I  have  named  after  my  kind  friend,  Cornelius  Grinnell — 
we  passed  several  prominent  places,  and  among  them  Sterry's 
Tower.    The  following  is  a  sketch  of  it: 


BTl.lUiV'a  TOWBB. 


The  next  day,  in  company  with  many  of  the  natives,  we  arrived 

H 


114  ARCTIC  IIE8KAUCII  EXrEDITION. 

at  Nu-gum-rni-uko  (u  bay  that  I  named  after  Cyrua  W.  Field,  one 
of  the  promotera  of  my  expedition).  The  harbor  wo  entered  was 
hard  to  find,  but  it  waa  thought  to  bo  jjorfectly  aafo.  Soon  after- 
ward the  ahij)  and  her  erew  mado  ready  for  whaling;  but  for  my- 
self, I  dctermiiied  upon  mixing  unreservedly  with  the  natives, 
ind  for  this  purj)oao  tried  to  secure  Ugarng  as  a  guide  and  com- 
panion. I  presented^  him  with  a  beautiful  ivory-handled  knife, 
given  to  mo  by  "  Wayne  &  Son,"  of  Cincinnati,  hoping  this  would 
lead  to  good  reaults.  IIo  was  much  pleased  with  it,  and  said,  in 
his  own  tongue,  kuoy-en-na-mik  (I  thank  you). 

Ugarng'a  wives  were  really  good-looking,  and  capital  workers, 
chewing  more  seal,  reindeer,  and  walrus  akina  for  boota  and  mit- 
tens than  any  other  women  of  the  country.  This  chewing  proc- 
ess will  be  described  at  another  time;  but  I  may  here  observe 
that  it  is  one  of  the  principal  modes  of  making  the  skins  pliable, 
and  changing  them  into  any  doaired  form.  It  ia  a  labor  always 
performed  by  females,  never  by  men.  The  Innuit  women  also 
washed  clothes,  and  soon  became  so  proficient  that  they  could  do 
them  as  well  as  Americans.  One  morning  I  gave  my  clothes  to 
be  washed  by  a  woman  called  Nukertou,  and  by  the  evening  she 
returned  the  articles  to  me  completed  and  in  good  order.  Ugarng 
gave  me  an  excellent  pair  of  native  boota,  made  by  one  of  bis 
wives,  and,  in  return,  1  presented  her  with  some  brass  rings,  which 
the  women  greatly  prize  for  doing  up  the  hair.       • 

Wishing  to  visit  some  of  the  innumerable  islands  that  lay  scat- 
tered about  the  bay,  and  also  place  my  dogs  on  some  place  best 
suited  for  them,  where  the  remains  of  a  whale  were  found,  I  took 
three  Esquimaux  boys  and  little  Kimmiloo  in  the  boat  with  me 
to  pull.  I  accomplished  my  errand,  and,  on  the  return,  much  en- 
joyed the  sight  of  my  crew,  including  the  girl  (all  fresh  types  of 
the  Iron  race  of  the  North),  smoking  with  pipe  in  tl^^ir  mouth, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  pulling  heartily  at  the  oars! 

On  Monday,  August  20tli,  after  tea,  the  captain,  myself.  Smith, 
Sterry,  Morgan,  and  Bailey  took  a  boat,  and  went  out  a  ducking. 
The  wind  was  blowing  fresh  from  the  northwest,  therefore  we  beat 
to  windward.  On  the  way  we  killed  five  ducks — a  sport  that  was 
exciting  enough,  though  not  remunerative,  five  or  six  shot  hav- 
ing to  be  expended  in  killing  one  duck.  While  tacking,  I  lost 
my  venerable  hat — the  one  I  punctured  with  a  pike  when  rais- 
ing it  high  in  the  air  on  top  of  the  first  iceberg  I  visited. 

On  the  21st  of  August,  at  7  A.M.,  the  Rescue  was  got  under 


A  CHUIHK  IN  THE  RK8CUK.  115 

wny  for  t\w  purpose  of  taking  a  purty  of  us  over  to  an  inlet  on 
tlie  opposite  side  of  Field  Hay.  It  was  intended  by  the  eaptuin 
to  exurnino  this  and  other  plaees  to  see  their  availability  fur  fish- 
ing depots,  and  I  gladly  took  tbo  opportunity  of  accompanying 
him. 

While  heaving  up  anchor,  an  incident  occurred  that  served 
well  to  illustrate  the  character  of  the  Innuit  Uijarvij.  His  third 
wife,  Kun-ni-u^  with  the  captain  and  myself,  were  at  the  windlass 
brake,  and  it  was  quite  an  amusing  sight  to  behold  us.  Pres- 
ently wo  hnd  to  stop  for  a  moment,  and,  on  commencing  again, 
Kurmiu  could  not  quickly  lay  hold;  whereupon  her  husband, 
who  was  standing  by,  looking  on  with  a  sort  of  dignity,  as  if  he 
were  lord  of  all  ho  surveyed,  at  onco  ordered  her  to  go  ahead ; 
and  when  she  grasped  the  brake,  ho  turned  and  strutted  about  the 
deck  in  quite  an  independent  manner. 

Two  boats  had  to  tow  us  out  of  the  harbor,  owing  to  there  be- 
ing no  wind,  and  we  piussed  through  a  channel  between  two  small 
islands  that  was  probably  never  navigated  before.  One  man 
went  aloft  to  con  the  way,  and  I  stood  on  the  Ifew  to  watch  for 
rocks  under  water.  Several  I  saw  far  down — some  at  five  and 
ten  fathoms  deep,  and  looking  white  and  yawning;  but  they  were 
harmless,  even  had  they  been  much  iinarer  the  surface,  for  the 
Jiescue  only  drew  eight  feet  water. 

At  8  A.M.  a  light  breeze  filled  the  sails,  and,  taking  up  our 
boats,  away  we  went  across  the  waters  of  the  bay.  A  course 
nearly  due  south  was  steered,  somewhat  westerly  of  Bear  Sound, 
and  in  due  time  we  approached  the  opposite  shores,  where  some 
wild  and  rocky,  but  magnificent  scenery  was  presented  to  our 
view.  At  2  P.M.  we  turned  into  one  of  three  or  four  entrances 
that  led,  by  a  safe  channel,  into  a  long  and  beautiful  bay.  On 
either  side  of  us  were  towering  mountains,  one  especially  of  a 
bold  and  lofty  character,  with  its  peak  looking  down  majestically 
into  the  waters  below. 

The  breeze  had  now  somewhat  freshened  from  the  N.E.,  and 
was  sending  us  along  full  five  knots  an  hour.  Great  was  the  ex- 
citement; most  exhilarating  the  whole  scene.  We  were  in  wa- 
ters quite  new  to  us,  and  approaching  Frobisher  Sfraits — then,  at 
least,  so  believed  by  me.  Our  lady-Esquimaux  pilot,  Kunniu, 
guided  us  safely  on,  but  care  was  also  needed ;  Morgan,  therefore, 
went  aloft  to  look  out,  and  I  again  took  my  place  on  the  bowsprit 
end.    Occasionally  a  huge  while^  old  rock  peered  up  its  head,  as 


116  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

if  to  ask,  Who  were  wo  that  thus  disturbed  tho  usual  quietude  of 
the  pkxcc,  and  unsettled  tho  poaco  that  had  reigned  during  t\w 
world's  ago  ?  But  no  interruption  to  our  {)rogrcss  was  made.  We 
went  on  and  on,  creating  tho  moat  joyous  emotions  in  my  breast 
as  we  proceeded.  My  heart  leaped  within  mo  as  the  vessel 
bo"ndcd  forward. 

I  had  taken  my  glass  in  hand  and  cast  my  eye  to  tho  south- 
west. There  I  could  see  the  extent  of  tho  bay  was  limited  by  a 
very  low  coast,  but  beyond  it  wero  tho  high,  bold  mountains  of 
Meia  Incognita,  across  the  olden  "  Straits" — so  termed — of  Martin 
Frobisher.  Though  in  tho  blue  melting  distance,  and  some  fifty 
miles  oiF,  yet  they  seemed  like  giants  close  by.  Then,  too,  the 
lofty  hills  of  rock  on  either  side  of  us,  with  tho  sun-glado,  like  u 
pathway  of  dazzling  gold,  ahead,  made  tho  picture  beautiful  and 
exciting  in  tho  extreme.  It  was  my  first  visit  and  approach  to 
tho  scenes  of  Frobisher's  discoveries,  and  well  might  I  bo  excused 
for  the  joyousncss  of  my  heart  on  tho  occasion. 

At  length  the  schooner  carried  us  to  tho  termination  of  the  bay, 
and  in  a  few  nBhments  more  we  had  safely  anchored  in  a  good 
spot,  having  four  and  a  half  fathoms'  depth  at  low  water. 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  FUOBISHEH  BAY.  II7 


CHAPTER  VI. 

First  Visit  to  Frobisher  Bay. — "Mota  Incognita." — Fossils. — Koo-jcsso  and  his 
Family. — Old  Artarliparu. — Tlie  beautiful  Kolt-er-zhun. — Sliinninf;  Duclcs. — Es- 
(luimnux  Food. — Native  Mode  of  Slcc]iing. — Innuit  Ilcad-ornamunts. — Return 
to  the  Siiip. — Excursion  on  Shore. — White  Man's  Grave. — E8(iuiniuux  Grave. — 
Chart  made  by  Koojohsc. — Innuit  Sl«ill  in  Geography. — Aurora  Burcalis. — Vis- 
ited l)y  NunilKirs  of  the  Natives. — Kiiill  of  tlic  Women  at  Work. — Trial  of  tlie  Ex- 
]>cdition  Boat. — Journey  on  Laud. — Annawa. — Ancient  Dwellings  of  the  Innuits. 
— A  Mountain  I'oss.— Old  Mother  Tc-ta-to. — Puto  and  the  White  Child. — \Vhale 
captured. — An  exciting  Scene. — Groat  Feast  for  the  Natives.  —  Author's  first 
Trial  at  raw  Whale-meat. — Custom  and  ]|pication  alone  prevents  the  Enjoy- 
ment of  raw  Food. — Discovery  of  a  Frobisher  Relic. 

It  was  half  past  four  o'clock,  August  2l8t,  when  we  dropped 
anchor  in  this  beautiful  inlet,  which  I  name  after  Richard  II. 
Chapell,  of  New  London,  Connecticut.  We  then  had  a  hurried 
tea,  and  immediately  afterward  took  a  boat  and  went  on  shore. 
Our  party  consisted  of  the  captain,  Mates  Gardiner  and  Lamb, 
Morgan  and  Bailey,  besides  myself  Four  Esquimaux — two  of 
them  being  Ugarng  and  his  wife  Kun-ni-u — also  accompanied  us. 

On  getting  ashore  we  found  that  the  neck  of  land  dividing  the 
waters  just  left  from  those  of  Frobisher  "Straits"  was  less  than 
a  mile  in  breadth,  and  so  low  that,  except  in  one  part  where  a 
ridge  of  rocks  occurred,  it  could  not  be  more  than  a  few  feet  above 
the  sea,  and  possibly  covered  at  high  tides.  Portions  of  this 
isthmus  were  sandy,  and  the  rest  full  of  stones,  rocks,  and  several 
specimens  of  shale,  many  of  which  I  eagerly  collected.  On  one 
plat  of  sand  we  observed  some  foot-tracks,  which  Ugarng  stated 
to  be  of  reindeer,  though  such  an  opinion  seemed  to  me  ridiculous 
from  the  appearance  before  us,  and  so  the  event  proved  on  the 
tollowing  day,  when  we  encountered  some  Esquimaux  who  had 
been  here. 

On  arriving  at  the  ridge  of  rocks,  which  I  call  "Morgan's  Hill," 
and  which  overlooked  the  whole  locality  around,  I  paused  a  mo- 
ment to  gaze  upon  the  scene  before  my  eye.  There,  facing  me, 
was  the  celebrated  "  Strait" — so  called — of  Frobi-sher,  and  beyond 
it  in  the  distance  Meta  Incognita* — thus  named  by  Queen  Eliza- 

♦  "  Meta  Inco(]mta"  embraced  both  sides  of  "  Frobisher  Straits,"  and,  in  fact, 
was  meant  to  include  the  whole  of  his  discoveries. 


118  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

betb,  but  termed  Kingaite  by  the  Esquimaux.  Two  hundred  and 
eighty-two  years  previously,  in  that  very  month  of  August,  thi; 
great  English  navigator,  then  on  his  third  voyage,  was  sailing  on 
the  waters  now  within  my  view,  and,  after  many  perils  from 
storms,  fogs,  and  floating  ice,  he  and  part  of  his  original  fleet 
(which  consisted  of  fifteen  vessels)  assembled  in  "  Countess  of 
Warwick's  Sound,"  which  I  supposed  to  be  not  far  off.  As  I 
gazed,  how  I  longed  to  be  exploring  it,  then  hopefully  anticipating 
it  would  prove  the  highway  to  my  ultimate  destination.  King 
William's  Land.  But  such  was  not  to  be.  Disappointment  is 
the  lot  of  all  men.  Mine  afterward  proved  great ;  and  yet  I  have 
reason  to  be  thankful  for  what  I  afterward  accomjilishcd. 

I  looked  long  and  earnestly.  The  land  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  "  Straits"  was  clear  be^jjle  me,  though  at  a  distance  of  some 
forty  miles,  and  it  appeared  as  if  a  long  line  of  ice  or  snow  top- 
j)e(l  a  considerable  portion  of  it.  I  hastened  from  the  place 
whereon  I  stood,  and  walked  to  the  beach,  where  the  waters  of 
the  so-caJled  Frobisher  Strait  washed  the  shores.  There,  with 
spy-glass,  I  again  carefully  examined  the  opposite  land.  The 
same  appearance  presented  itself.  But  not  till  some  months  aft- 
erward, when  exploring  up  the  "Straits,"  did  I  have  positive 
proof  that  what  I  now  saw  was  really  an  enormous  and  magnifi- 
cent glacier,  w-xich,  when  I  visited  it,  I  called  after  the  name  of 
Henry  Grinnell. 

Continuing  with  my  glass  to  trace  the  land  westerly,  it  seemed 
to  me  that  the  mountains  in  that  direction  united  with  the  land 
on  which  I  stood,  and  if  so,  no  "strait"  existed.  But,  as  refrac- 
tion at  first  was  going  on,  I  fancied  that  I  might  be  deceived.  A 
longer  look,  however,  made  me  still  feel  doubtful  ;*  and  while  I 
stood  charmed  and  spcU-bound  by  the  picture  before  me,  a  crowd 
of  strange  thoughts  filled  my  soul  as  I  reflected  upon  my  own  po- 
sition there,  and  remembered  the  history  of  those  early  voyages 
made  by  Frobisher  and  his  companions.  But  I  had  not  much 
time  to  ponder.    The  party  was  awaiting  me,  and  I  had  to  return. 

On  my  way  back  I  found  many  other  specimens  of  fossils,  a 
quantity  of  which  I  secured;  and  as  I  was  well  loaded,  Kunniu, 
Ugarng's  wife,  offered  to  assist  me  in  carrying  them.  The  hood 
of  her  long-tailed  coat  was  widely  opened  to  receive  my  load. 
Some  fifty  pounds'  weight  of  rock  specimens,  etc.,  were  placed  in 

*  A  week  later,  as  will  be  seen,  six  intelligent  Esquimaux  positively  assured  roe 
that  this  was  a  bay,  and  not  a  "  strait  '' 


THE  ESQUIMAUX  BOAKUING«HE  RESCUE.  121 

this  convenient  receptacle,  now  answering  the  purpose  of  a  geolo- 
gist's saddle-bag ;  another  time,  an  Esquimaux  lady's  bonnet  or 
pouch ;  arid,  next,  a  baby-house !  One  of  the  limestones,  on  being 
broken  in  two,  exposed  to  view  an  imbedded  mineral  the  size  and 
shape  of  a  duck-shot.  I  tried  to  cut  it  with  my  knife,  but  it  was 
hard  as  steel ;  and  no  efifl||t  was  made  upon  it  except  by  scraping 
off  the  oxyd,  which  then  left  displayed  something  like  bri^  ht  iron. 
Unfortunately,  I  afterward  lost  this  specimen  by  droi'.piri^  it  in 
the  ship's  hold. 

We  got  on  board  the  Rescue  about  nine  o'clock,  and  haa  a  very 
pleasant  evening  in  the  cabin.  The  next  morning  we  were  again 
on  our  way  toward  the  George  Henry.  As  we  passed  out  of  the 
bay,  taking  another  channel,  it  fell  calm,  and  two  boats'  crews 
were  ordered  ahead  to  tow.  There  was  a  strong  tide  running, 
and  right  in  the  channel  some  rocks  were  seen  just  below  water. 
It  was  too  late  to  alter  the  schooner's  course,  and,  though  every 
effort  was  made  to  get  clear,  yet  we  should  have  been  left  upon 
those  rocks  had  it  not  been  for  the  swell  of  the  sea  and  a  good 
pull  at  the  oars  carrying  us  right  over  them  ! 

In  the  afternoon,  while  still  towing,  three  ki-as,  followed  by 
oo-mi-ens  (family  boats  of  the  natives)  filled  with  women  and  men, 
approached.  On  the  present  occasion,  a  highly-intelligent  Innuit, 
Koojcsse  by  name,  was  boat-stecrer  of  one,  while  his  family  and 
other  Esquimaux,  with  all  of  their  connections,  their  tents,  cook- 
ing utensils,  etc.,  accompanied  him.  As  soon  as  they  reached  the 
Rescue,  all  came  on  board,  Koojessc  having  with  him  one  of  the 
finest  Esquimaux  dogs  I  had  seen.  More  dogs,  deerskins,  walrus 
heads  and  tusks,  with  abundance  of  game,  such  as  ducks,  etc., 
were  with  the  party. 

Among  the  number  now  arrived  was  Kudlagd's  eldest  daugh- 
ter, Kok-er-zhun,  a  truly  fair  and  beautiful  young  woman,  already 
married  to  a  young  man  called  Shi-vier-ar-chu,  otherwise  Johnny 
Bull.  She  came  alongside  full  of  hope  and  happiness,  expecting 
to  hear  of,  and  perhaps  to  meet  her  father.  Both  herself  and 
Tunukdei'lien,  the  wife  of  Koojessc,  delayed  approaching  until  they 
had  made  a  change  of  dress,  and  then,  when  ready,  on  deck  they 
came.  But,  alas  1  how  sad  was  the  blow  she  had  to  receive !  See- 
ing Kunniu,  Ugarng's  wife,  whom  she  knew,  the  question  was  put 
to  her,  '■^  Nou-ti-ma  wong-a  a-td-td?" — Where  is  my  father?  and 
when  Kunniu,  in  a  calm  but  kindly  way,  communicated  the  painful 
news,  it  was  as  if  a  thunderbolt  had  riven  her  heart!     That  face, 


122  ARCTIC#ESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

a  moment  before  beaming  with  hope  and  happiness  at  the  thought 
of  :nceting  her  father,  was  instantly  changed  to  an  expression  of 
deep  woo  I  Tears  coursed  down  her  cheeks,  and,  though  the  usu- 
al calm  dignity  of  Esquimaux  nature  forbade  outcries  or  noisy 
lamentation,  yet  it  was  evident  she  m^t  acutely  felt  the  sudden 
calamity.  Her  Esquimaux  friends,  anJkdl  who  knew  her  father, 
sympathized  greatly  with  her,  as  indeedaid  we  Americans,  Ev- 
ery thing  in  our  power  was  done  to  alleviate  her  distress,  but  it 
was  long  before  she  got  over  the  shock. 

In  one  of  the  oomiens  there  were  no  less  than  eighteen  women 
and  children,  an  old  "patriarch"  named  Ar-tarhpa-ru,  who  was 
crippled  in  both  nether  limbs,  but  blessed  with  the  heaviest  beard 
and  mustache  yet  seen  among  his  people — ten  dogs,  tents,  ein- 
deer  skins  in  immense  number,  venison,  seal-blubber,  ducks,  wal- 
rus heads  and  tusks,  hunting  instruments,  and,  in  truth,  all  the 
worldly  goods  of  some  seven  families  I 

Having  made  fast  the  oomiens  astern,  taken  the  kias  on  board, 
hoisted  the  old  man  up  by  a  rope,  and  allowed  all  the  rest  to 
mount  as  best  they  could,  we  soon  had  our  decks  crowded  with 
about  thirty  good-humored  natives  of  all  ages  and  sizes,  and  of 
both  sexes. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  the  female  portion  were  put  to 
work  in  skinning  some  of  the  ducks.  While  doing  so  I  sat  be- 
side them,  and  eagerly  watclied  their  operations.  They  asked  me 
for  my  knife,  and  were  delighted  with  the  excellent  one  I  lent 
them.  Taking  a  duc\'  and  drawing  the  knife  once  around  the 
outer  joint  of  each  wing  and  the  head,  they  seized  the  cut  part 
with  their  teeth,  and  stripped  the  fowl  entire !  The  ducks  were 
very  fat,  and  most  of  it  adhered  to  the  skin.  This  caused  these 
daughters  of  the  North  to  rejoice  with  each  other  on  the  feast  of 
fat  skins  that  awaited  them  on  completing  their  work !  After  all 
the  ducks  had  been  skinned,  they  were  delivered  to  the  cook  as 
fresh  provision  for  tlie  ship's  company.  It  was  understood  that 
for  preparing  these  ducks  the  native  women  were  to  have  the 
skins  as  pay,  and  this  was  considered  ample.  A  short  time  after- 
ward I  saw  mothers,  fathers,  sons,  and  daughters  in  bed  on  deck, 
with  their  duck-skins  in  hand,  peeling  off  the  "  luxurious"  flit  with 
their  teeth,  each  now  and  then  giving  a  peculiar  kind  of  grunt  in 
great  satisfaction !  "  In  bed"  among  the  Esquimaux  is  to  repose 
in  puris  naturalihus  between  reindeer  skins  with  the  hair  on.  Be- 
ing well  enveloped  in  these  heat-retaining  skins,  they  proceeded 
^  to  eat  themselves  to  sleep ! 


THE  INNUIT  AND  WHITE  MAN'S  GKAVES,  123 

Most  of  the  fe^.alo  portion  of  those  on  board  had  each  a  really 
beautiful  ornamcit  upon  their  head,  bent  like  a  bow,  and  extend- 
ing from  points  just  forward  and  below  the  ears  up  over  the  top 
of  the  head.  At  the  apex  it  was  one  inch  wide,  tapering  down  to 
half  an  inch  at  the  extremities,  and  it  looked  and  glistened  in  the 
bright  sun  like  burnished  gold.  There  were  two  fastenings  to 
this  ornament — a  string  of  variously-colored  beads  going  under 
the  chin  as  a  bonnet-tie,  also  one  passing  down  behind  the  ears  at 
the  back  of  the  neck  and  head.  It  struck  me  that  this  was  not 
only  a  beautiful  ornament  to  the  Esquimaux  women,  but  would 
also  be  to  ladies  at  home. 

Before  Artarkparu  came  on  board  he  was  very  anxious  to 
make  well  secure  some  drift  timber  he  had  found.  One  piece  was 
a  ship's  deck-plank,  probably  a  part  of  the  English  whaling  ves- 
sel Traveller,  wrecked  in  Bear  Sound  in  1858.  This  vessel  was 
about  500  tons,  and  was  lost  by  getting  upon  the  rocks,  when,  the 
tide  leaving  her  high  and  dry,  she  rested  amidships  upon  a  crag- 
gy point,  and  so  broke  her  back.  Her  anchors,  oil  tanks,  and  150 
fathoms  of  clmin  were  said  to  be  still  lying  there. 

In  the  cvemng  I  conversed  with  Kokerzhuu  about  her  father's 
death.  She  was  deeply  interested  at  the  many  particulars  I  men- 
tioned, and  I  was  surprised  to  find  her  so  intelligent  and  com- 
paratively accomplished.  She  was,  withal,  really  handsome,  but 
retiring  and  ladylike.  She  understood  several  words  of  the  En- 
glish language,  and  was  very  solicitous  of  acquiring  more  knowl- 
edge of  it.  She  and  her  husband  were  ii'Tted  for  the  night  into 
the  cabin,  where  Mate  Gardiner  gave  them  up  his  berth,  and,  my 
wrappers  answering  for  coverlets,  they  were  soon  asleep.  The 
ne.'.t  morning  we  arrived  at  our  anchorage,  and  I  soon  returned 
to  my  quarters  on  board  the  George  Henry. 

That  evening  I  landed  for  a  walk,  and  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  beach  I  found  a  white  man's  grave — a  mound  of  sand — at  the 
head  of  which  was  an  inserij)tion  cut  upon  a  raised  wood  tablet, 
and  reading  literally  as  follows : 

DIED, 
ON  THE  81 8T  JTJLV,   IS')?, 

WILLIAM  JAMES,  aged  28  years, 

SEAMAN,   r.   n.    D.,    ON   HOARD   THE 

S.  SHIP  INNUIT,  OF   P.   II.   D., 

J.    II.    SUTTER, 

COMMANDER. 


% 


124  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Dreary  was  the  scene  around  that  solitary  grave,  the  last  rest- 
ing-place of  one  who  was  taken  away  in  the  prime  of  life,  far 
from  home  and  all  who  were  dear  to  him.  At  the  end  of  each 
line  was  rudely  engraved  a  willow  branch,  a  substitute  for  the 
cypress,  which,  in  all  ages,  and  in  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world, 
serves  as  a  memorial  of  the  dead.  ^ 

Strangely  enough,  after  an  hour's  walk  I  came  across  another 
grave,  but  this  time  that  of  an  Esquimaux.  The  grave  was  sim- 
ply a  steep  ledge  of  rocks  on  one  side,  Oind  on  the  other  long 
stones  set  up  on  end.  Within  this  were  the  bones  and  skull  of 
the  deceased  man.  At  the  head  was  a  pile  of  rude  stone  cover- 
ing the  utensils  that  belonged  to  him  when  living.  Through  the 
openings  I  saw  a  powder-flask,  a  little  tin  tea-kettle  suspended 
over  a  blubber  lamp,  the  knives  which  ho  was  wont  to  use,  and 
other  trifles,  all  placed  in  perfect  order.  Beside  this  pile  were 
his  seal,  walrus,  and  whaling  instruments.  The  grave  was  with- 
out cover,  that  he  might  freely  roam  over  the  mountains  and 
freely  traverse  the  seas  to  that  world  whither  he  had  gone.  The 
grave  was  situated  on  an  eminence  or  bluff  ovcrlo^ing  the  bay, 
islands,  and  scenery  far  and  near.  As  I  stood  byThis  grave  the 
setting  sun  was  crimsoning  the  whole  heavens,  picturftg  to  my 
mind  the  glory  that  follows  death  to  those  who  deserve  it. 

After-inquiries  that  T  made  enabled  me  to  ascertain  the  name 
of  the  deceased,  which  1  found  to  be  one  Al-lo-kee,  a  man  cele- 
brated in  his  day  as  a  great  hunter,  persevering  sealer,  and  daring 
whaler. 

On  Friday,  August  24th,  Koojesse  made  me  an  excellent  chart 
of  Nu-gum-mi-uke,  Northumberland  Inlet,  Bear  Sound,  and  lands 
adjacent — especially  of  the  so-called  Frobisher  Strait.  He  signi- 
fied his  willingness  to  accompany  me  next  season  on  my  intend- 
ed expedition,  but  declined  to  venture  this  year. 

Trade  to-day  commenced  with  the  natives  for  whalebone  and 
walrus  tusks.    Several  polar  bear  skins  had  already  been  bartered. 

On  Saturday,  25th  of  August  (1860),  had  a  very  interesting, 
and,  to  me,  important  conversation  with  the  intelligent  Koojesse^ 
Ucjarng,  and  his  wife  Kunniu.  The  three  of  them  were  great 
travelers,  both  the  former  having  been  in  the  United  States,  and 
the  latter  was  born  at  the  "  King's  Cape"  of  Luke  Fox,  discov- 
ered by  that  navigator  in  1631.  She  had  been  to  the  Meta  Incog- 
nita of  Frobisher,  and  all  along  the  north  coast  of  that  land,  which, 
by  her  account  (as  clearly  explained  to  me),  was  connected  with 


^C^^ZX^  C/i? 


A.  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound 

B.  Bear  Sound. 

C.  Field  Bay. 

D.  Too-jar-choo-nr, " 

E.  Ok-pun, 

F.  Too-jarn, 

G.  Too-jar-too-ark,  . 


"Resolution  Island."* 


*  "Resolution  Island"  is  put  down  on  our  charts  as  one  island,  though  it  really 
consists  of  several,  called  by  the  natives  as  indicated  above. 


126  ARCTIC  llESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

the  opposite  shores,  tlius  making  Frobisher  "Strait"  an  iiilet  or 
hay.  Koojcssc  and  Uijartnj  had  also  visited  the  land  referred  to,  and 
eaeh  of  them  dechucd  that  tliere  was  no  other  water  communica- 
tion to  what  we  call  Fox's  Channel  except  through  the  Hudson's 
Straits.  This  I  was  very  desirous  of  knowing  more  about;  and 
at  my  rec^est  Koojesso  finished  drawing  his  chart  of  the  coasts, 
bays,  auoBlands  from  Northumberland  Inlet  to  liesoluHon  Isl- 
and, and  both  sides  of  the  so-called  Frobisher  Strait  to  its  head. 
The  original  of  this  chart  is  now  in  my  possession,  and  it  has  al- 
ways astonished  me  for  its  remarkable  skill  and  general  accuracy 
of  detail.  A  facsimile  of  most  of  it  is  here  shown,  reduced  to  -rVth 
of  its  original  size. 

The  charts  that  I  possessed  of  this  locality  were  such  as  our 
geographers  at  that  time  believed  to  be  correct,  and  I  pointed 
out  to  Koojesse  the  places  about  which  I  desired  information.  I 
showed  him  the  route  I  proposed  taking  when  I  got  up  to  about 
longitude  72°,  in  what  I  had  supposed  to  be  Frobisher  Strait, 
but  he  and  the  others  stopped  me  by  saying  '■^Argi!  argif"  (No! 
no !)  They  then  took  hold  of  my  hand,  moving  it  around  till  it 
connected  with  "Meta  Incognita;"  tnen  following  southeasterly 
the  north  coast  of  this  land  till  arriving  at  the  channel  leading 
into  Iludson's  Striit,  about  longitude  66°  Wf,  and,  turning  round, 
went  thence  up  Iludson's  Strait  continuously  on  to  "King's 
Cape."  Of  course  the  names  which  we  place  upon  our  charts  are 
unknown  to  the  Esquimaux,  and,  consequently,  I  have  endeav- 
ored in  this  work,  where  possible,  to  give  both  together. 

The  knowledge  that  the  Esquimaux  possess  of  the  geography 
of  their  country  is  truly  wonderful.  There  is  not  a  part  of  the 
coast  but  what  they  can  well  delineate,  when  once  it  has  been 
visited  by  them,  or  information  concerning  it  obtained  from  oth- 
ers. Their  memory  is  remarkably  good,  and  their  intellectual 
powers,  in  all  relating  to  their  native  land,  its  inhabitants,  its 
coar,ts,  and  interior  parts,  is  of  a  surprisingly  high  order.  In 
what  they  related  to  me  concerning  Frobisher  Strait  there  could 
be  no  doubt,  and  at  once  I  felt  convinced  that  no  passage  existed 
in  that  direction.  However,  this  I  determined  to  personally  ex- 
amine at  the  earliest  opportunity.  Meanwhile  I  tried  all  in  my 
power  to  persuade  Koojesse  to  go  with  me,  without  delay,  to  King 
William's  Land,  but  in  vain.  Earlier  in  the  season  he  would  have 
gone ;  now  ^^was  too  late.    I  had,  therefore,  no  alternative  but 


inie 


to  wait  untiJiK  following  spring. 


TRADE  WITH  THE  NATIVES.  127 

At  midnight  there  was  a  fine  display  of  tlio  aurora  borcalis,  or 
rather  aurora  uuHtralis,  for  the  direction  in  which  the  lights  ap- 
peared waa  suut/i,  not  north  of  us.  The  barometer  stood  at  30.06 ; 
thermometer,  82° ;  wind,  moderate  N.W.,  and  the  sky  "  clear  as 
a  bell."  I  took  on  deck  two  delicate  compasses  to  observe  if  they 
would  be  affected  by  the  lights,  but  they  were  not  in  the  least. 
The  display  was  nuilly  beautiful ;  the  streams  darting  up  like 
lightning,  and  passing  the  zenith.  Some  banks  of  light  were  so 
thick  that  the  stars  behind  were  obscured,  even  those  of  the  first 
magnitude. 

Tlie  following  day  we  had  a  visit  from  Artarkparti,  who,  I  find, 
is  brother  to  Allokee,  the  man  whose  gravo^had  noticed.  Ar- 
(arkparu  had  a  single  bniss  button,  as  an  ornament,  pendent  from 
his  skin  coat.  The  device  on  it  was  a  bee  with  expanded  wings, 
and  the  motto  "  Vive  id  vivasy 

A  young  man  Esquimaux,  whom  wo  called  Napoleon,  from  a 
resemblance  in  features  to  Bonaparte,  used  to  visit  us  daily, 
dressed  in  a  blue  military  coat  minus  the  tail  (which  bad  been 
completely  torn  off),  and  with  a  row  of  big  brass  buttons  running 
over  each  shoulder  and  down  in  front.  The  device  on  these  but- 
tons was  three  cannon  on  carriages,  with  a  crown  for  the  crest. 

Another  comical  sight  was  a  fat  Esquimaux  woman  who  ap- 
peared among  us  dressed  in  an  old  calico  curtain  put  on  over 
her  sealskin  suit.  The  number  of  iiatives  now  visiting  us  was 
very  great,  but  it  was  made  a  rule  wtat  all  except  a  privileged 
few  should  leave  the  ship  at  8  P.  M.  During  the  day  much  trade 
was  carried  on  in  bartering  for  skins,  walrus  tusks,  etc.  One  pair 
of  tusks  measured  full  twenty-six  inches  in  length.  The  skull  of 
the  walrus  is  very  firm  and  thick.  No  rifle-ball  would  have  the 
least  effect  on  it.     I  have  specimens  that  will  show  this. 

Decidedly  the  Esquimaux  are  a  happy  people.  As  they  crowd- 
ed our  docks,  I  one  day  noticed  about  a  dozen  women  seated  and 
busily  engaged  at  their  work.  Two  were  mending  one  of  the 
boat's  sails.  Some  were  chewing  oohgook  (large  seal)  skins  for 
soles  of  kum-ings  (native  boots),  others  sewing ;  while  one  was 
tending  a  cross  baby.  This  little  fellow,  by-the-by,  was  generally 
as  good-humored  as  the  rest,  but  a  piece  of  raw  seal-blubber  had 
disordered  him,  and  hence  his  troublesome  manner.  It  is  rare  to 
find  an  Esquimaux  chj||i  but  what  is  very  quiet,  and  only  on  ex- 
traordinary occasions  will  they  raise  any  cries.  One  Esquimaux 
lady,  whose  husband  was  as  dark  as  half  the  negroes  of  the  States, 


128  AIUTIC  UEHEAKCn  KXl'EDITION. 

bad  a  very  pretty  aemi-white  baby,  looking  truo  American  all 
over  1 

<)a  tho  29th  of  August  I  thouglit  it  advisable  to  try  my  expe- 
dition boat,  with  a  view  to  ])repaiing  her  Ibr  tho  trip  to  King 
William's  Laud.     Accordingly,  uho  was  brought  in  from  where 

she  was  anchored  near  tho  ship,  and  Captain  B -,  myself,  and 

Smith  entered  her  for  a  sail.  She  was  fouri<l  to  answer  admira- 
bly, and  proved  herself  of  high  merit  in  model  and  capabilities. 
Later  in  tho  day  I  again  went  away  in  her  with  Smith  and  two 
men.  Wc  pushed  outside  into  the  bay.  A  fresh  easterly  breeze 
was  blowing,  and  this  gave  the  boat  a  good  test.  Two  of  tho 
shiji's  boats  were  ^|o  out  under  sail,  but  we  jiasscd  them  at  such 
a  rapid  rate  that  W  surprised  every  one.  Truly  glad  was  I  to 
find  my  boat  so  good,  and  little  did  I  then  imagine  she  was  so 
soon  to  be  lost. 

On  the  80th  of  August  I  went  in  an  Esquimaux  boat,  with 
some  of  tho  nativijs,  to  convey  across  tho  bay  Annawa,  his  wife, 
their  infant,  and  a  son,  besides  tho  widow  of  old  Allokee,  toward 
their  homo,  which  was  at  tho  head  of  an  inlet  opening  into  Fro- 
bishcr  Strait.  Koojcsse  was  of  the  i)arty,  which  was  com})rised  of 
fifteen  persons. 

We  left  the  ship  at  9  A.M.,  and  when  about  two  thirds  of  the 
way  wc  landed  in  a  bight  of  a  largo  island.  Here  I  saw  an  old 
Esquimaux  settlement,  and  I  .should  think  there  muat  have  been 
no  less  than  fifty  huts  fomerly  erected  tlioro  witliin  a  space  of 
500  feet  of  where  I  stood.  The  Esquimaux  do  not  make  their 
winter  habitations  now  as  in  tho  years  when  the  huts  I  allude  to 
were  built,  the  remains  of  which  were  before  me.  During  the 
last  few  years  E.squimaux  live  almost  entirely  in  iffloos — "snow- 
houses" — through  the  winter  season.  Formerly  they  built  up  an 
earth  embankment,  or  a  wall  of  stone  about  five  feet  high,  and 
over  this  laid  skeleton  bones  of  the  whale  on  spars  of  drift-wood, 
then  on  top  of  that  placed  skins  of  the  seal  or  walrus.  Many  of 
the  ancient  embankments  where  wc  landed  had  tho  largest  of 
whale  skeleton  bones  placed  "  cob-house"  style,  and  so  incorpora- 
ted with  the  earth  as  to  keep  the  whole  firmly  and  enduringly 
together.  The  entrances  were  serpentine  tunnels  under  ground, 
with  side  walls,  and  roofed  with  slabs  of  stone.  To  pass  through 
them  one  is  obliged  to  go  on  "  all-fours."# 

I  noticed  here  a  dog-sledge  such  as  the  Esquimaux  use  in  their 
winter  excursions.    It  was  ten  feet  in  length,  the  runners  of  one 


ESQUIMAUX  TRAVRLINO.  •        129 

nnd  a  Imlf  inch  plank,  and  hIkhI  witli  tho  jaw-bono  of  tlio  wlialc. 
Tlio  widtli  was  thirty  inchos,  and  tho  crosa-bars  Hwtoned  by  .strings 
of  whalebono. 

AHokco's  widow  had  wintered  here,  and  she  at  onco  bent  her 
steps  to  tho  spot  where  she  had  fornicrly  halted,  and  took  from 
tho  ground  a  largo  pewter  plate  that  had  been  lell  there.  I  asked 
her  where  she  had  obtained  the  plate,  and  iier  reply  was  "  En- 
glish"—  thus  proljably  obtained  from  one  of  the  whalers.  The 
use  sho  made  of  this  piece  of  ware  waa  as  a  receptacle  for  needles, 
knives,  beads,  reindeer  sinew  for  sewing,  etc. 

After  staying  here  a  short  time  we  again  started,  and  arrived 
nt  our  destination  about  one  o'clock.  There  the  Esquimaux  fam- 
ily left  us,  intending  to  foot  it  for  about  two  days  over  mount- 
ains, through  valleys,  and  across  rivers  before  arriving  at  their 
homo.  But  not  only  had  they  to  walk  that  distance,  they  had  to 
carry  a  heavy  pack  on  their  shoulders;  and  I  was  appalled  when 
I  .saw  the  load  each  one  took,  especially  on  such  ajomncy,  with- 
out the  least  particle  of  food  with  them. 

Our  return  was  made  without  difliculty,  and  I  got  on  board 
much  pleased  with  tho  excursion. 

On  the  3d  of  September  wo  were  visited  by  an  old  gray -haired 
Esquimaux  woman  ealleJ  "/Vta-to."  In  talking  with  her  she 
declared  that  her  children  had  numbered  twenty-five,  but  all  were 
dead  except  two.  She  explained  this  by  throwing  out  both  hands, 
fingers  and  thumbs  widely  spread,  tiriW,  and  one  hand  ilin'a;  thus 
making  twenty-five.  At  the  time  I  could  not  help  doubting  her, 
but  sho  was  afterward  confirmed  by  other  evidence. 

Of  this  kind  old  woman  I  shall  have  more  to  say  farther  on, 
but  at  the  time  of  her  first  visit  she  greatly  interested  mc  by  her 
intelligence  and  excellent  memory.  Krintuu,  Ugarng's  third  wife, 
also  proved  henself  far  more  gifted  than  I  should  have  supposed. 
Iler  husband  wished  me  to  have  her  fis  my  own,' and  then  she 
could  go  with  me  to  King's  Cape,  where  sho  was  born ;  and  she 
herself  frequently  explained  that  I  could  not  go  tho  way  I  want- 
ed by  boat,  owing  to  land  all  around  tho  Frobisher  waters;  but, 
as  I  was  unable  to  start  that  season,  I  had  to  decline  the  offer. 

Some  of  tlie  amusing  tricks  played  by  these  Esquimaux  women 
are  especially  deserving  notice.  The  variety  of  games  perform- 
ed by  a  string  tied  at  the  ends,  similar  to  a  "  cat's  cradle,"  etc., 
completely  throws  into  the  shade  our  adepts  at  homo.  I  never 
before  witnessed  such  a  number  of  intricate  ways  in  which  a  sim- 

I 


130  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXl'EDITION. 

pie  string  could  be  used.  One  arrangement  represented  a  deer ; 
another  a  whale;  a  third  the  walrus;  a  fourth  the  seal;  and  so 
on  without  end. 

This  Kunniu  was  a  first-rate  woman  in  all  relating  to  work, 
whether  in  boat  or  on  shore.  She  was  an  excellent  pilot,  and 
could  pull  an  oar  with  any  of  our  men.  One  day  a  whale  was 
captured  by  the  George  Henry's  crew  at  the  lower  part  of  the 
bay,  and  it  was  necessary  for  all  aid  to  be  rendered  in  towing 
the  monster  alongside  our  ship.  The  natives  gave  every  assist- 
ance, and  I  also  went  with  a  boat,  rowed  by  Kunniu  and  three 
others,  to  help.  But  I  found  they  were  doing  well  without  us, 
and  accordingly  returned.  On  our  way  back  a  strong  north- 
wester was  blowing,  and  it  was  becoming  very  difficult  to  cross 
the  channel.  A  heavy  sea  prevailed,  and  the  tide  was  strong, 
causing  a  commotion  in  the  waters  any  thing  but  pleasant.  In 
the  boat  was  that  Esquimaux  woman  I  have  mentioned  as  pos- 
sessing the  semi-white  child,  and  never  did  mother  more  dote 
upon  a  babe  than  she  upon  this.  Iler  care  and  solicitude  for  its 
preservation  was  truly  affecting.  It  lay  in  the  bow  of  the  boat 
as  she  pulled  and  pulled,  seeminr^iy  with  the  strength  of  six  men, 
and  every  now  and  then  she  would  look  at  it  with  a  tender  glance, 
while  renewed  force  was  placed  upon  her  oar.  Mother?  Yes, 
she  was  a  true  mother;  and  Kunniu  evidently  must  have  been 
the  same,  for  sh."!  pulled  like  a  giantess.  How  they  watched  to 
see  if  we  progressed  !  How  they  turr  ed  their  eyes  to  the  sleep- 
ing babe,  as  a  wave  would  occasionally  mount  up  and  top  its 
white  crest  clear  over  our  heads ! 

At  length  we  were  able  to  get  the  boat  under  the  lee  of  an  isl- 
and, and  so  make  more  lieadway  in  smoother  water;  and  finally, 
after  some  very  severe  labor,  we  got  on  board. 

As  for  the  whale,  during  the  afternoon  it  was  brought  along- 
side, and  a  most  interesting  sight  it  was  to  see  thei  seven  boats 
towing  this  "  king  of  fishes"  toward  the  ship.  I  was  reminded  by 
it  of.the  way  in  which  old  Rome  celebrated  her  "  triumphs"  over 
great  kings  and  kingdoms.  "We  of  the  white  race  were  proud  of 
our  victory  over  such  a  monster  of  the  deep,  and  they  of  the  dark- 
er skin  were  rejoiced  at  having  aided  in  the  capture  of  what 
would  very  soon  give  them  an  immense  quantity  of"  black  skin" 
and  "  krang"  for  food. 

The  skin  pf  the  Mysticetus  (Greenland  whale)  is  a  great  treat 
to  the  Esquimaux,  who  eat  it  raw ;  and  even  before  the  whale 


INNUITS  EATING  RAW  FOOD.  131 

was  brought  to  the  ship,  some  of  the  skin,  about  twenty  square 
feet,  had,  by  permission,  been  consumed  by  hungry  natives.  The 
"  black  skin"  is  three  iburths  of  an  inch  thick,  and  looks  like  In- 
dia-rubber. It  is  good  eating  in  its  raw  state  even  for  a  white 
man,  as  I  know  from  experience ;  but  when  boiled  and  soused 
in  vinegar  it  is  most  excellent. 

I  afterward  saw  the  natives  cutting  up  the  hrang  (meat)  of  the 
whale*  into  such  huge  slices  as  their  wives  could  carry ;  and  as 
they  worked,  so  did  they  keep  eating.  Boat-load  after  boat-load 
of  this  did  they  send  over  to  the  village,  where  several  deposits 
were  made  upon  islands  in  the  vicinity.  All  day  long  were  they 
eating ;  and,  thought  I,  "  What  monstrous  stomachs  must  these 
Esquimaux  have !"  Yet  I  do  not  think,  on  the  whole,  they  eat 
more  than  white  men.  But  the  quantity  taken  in  one  day — 
enough  to  last  for  several  days — is  what  astonishes  me !  They 
are,  in  truth,  a  peculiar  people.  "God  hath  made  of  one  blood  all 
nations  of  men  to  dwell  on  the  whole  face  of  the  earth,  and  hath 
determined  the  times  before  appointed,  and  the  bounds  of  their 
habitations."  Take  the  Esquimaux  away  from  the  arctic  regions 
— from  the  shores  of  the  northern  seas,  and  they  would  soon 
cease  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  bounds  of  their  habitations 
are  fixed  by  the  Eternal,  and  no  one  can  change  them.  Thus 
these  people  live. 

My  opinion  is,  that  the  Esquimaux  practice  of  eating  their  food 
rmo  is  a  good  one — at  least  for  the  better  preservation  of  their 
health.  To  one  educated  otherwise,  as  we  whites  are,  the  Esqui- 
maux custom  of  feasting  on  uncooked  meats  is  highly  repulsive ; 
but  eating  meats  raiv  or  cooked  is  entirehj  a  mattei'  of  education. 
"  As  the  twig  is  bent,  the  tree's  inclined,"  is  an  old  saw  as  appli- 
cable to  the  common  mind  of  a  people  in  regard  to  the  food  they 
eat  as  to  any  thing  else.  When  I  saw  the  natives  actually  feasting 
011  the  raw  flesh  of  the  ivhale,  I  thought  to  myself,  "  Wby  can  not  I 
do  the  same?"  and  the  response  to  my  question  came  rushing 
through  my  brain,  independent  of  prejudice,  "  Because  of  my  edu- 
cation— because  of  the  customs  of  my  people  from  time  immemo- 
rial." 

As  I  stood  upon  the  rocky  shore  observing  the  busy  natives  at 
work  carving  the  monster  before  me,  my  eye  caught  a  group 
around  one  of  the  vertebra,  from  which  they  were  slicing  and  eat- 

♦  The  blood  of  this  whale,  a  short  time  after  its  death,  was  rising  100°  Fahrenheit, 
Forty-eight  hours  after,  its  krang  was  still  quite  warm. 


132  ARCTIC  RESEAECH  EXPEDITION. 

ing  thin  pieces  of  ligament  that  looked  tohite  and  delicious  as  the 
breast  of  a  Thanksgiving  turkey  I  At  once  I  made  up  ray  mind 
to  join  in  partaking  of  the  inviting  (?)  viands  actually  smoking  in 
my  sight  Taking  from  the  hands  of  Ugarng  his  seal-knife,  I 
peeled  off  a  delicate  slice  of  this  spinal  ligament,  closed  my  eyes, 
and  cried  out  "  Turkey !"  But  it  would  not  go  down  so  easy. 
Not  because  the  stomach  had  posted  up  its  sentinel  to  say  "  no 
whale  can  come  down  here !"  but  because  it  toas  tougher  than  any 
bidl  beef  of  Christendom  !  For  half  an  hour  I  tried  to  masticate 
it,  and  then  found  it  was  even  tougher  than  when  I  began.  At 
length  I  discovered  I  had  been  making  a  mistake  in  the  way  to 
eat  it.  The  Esquimaux  custom  is  to  get  as  vast  a  piece  into  their 
distended  mouths  as  they  can  cram,  and  then,  boa  constrictor- 
like, first  lubricate  it  over,  and  so  sivallow  it  quite  ivhole  ! 

"  When  you  are  in  Rome,  do  as  the  Romans  do."  Therefore 
I  tried  the  Esquimaux  plan  and  succeeded,  but  that  one  trial  was 
sufficient  at  the  time. 

A  day  or  two  afterward  I  again  went  on  shore  to  where  a  por- 
tion of  the  whale's  carcass  remained. 

The  natives  were  so  careful  of  the  prize  that  numerous  piles 
of  stones,  covering  deposits  of  krang  and  blubber,  were  seen  on 
the  islands  around.  This  would  seem  to  bespeak  a  provident  in- 
stead of  an  improvident  trait  in  their  character;  but  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  the  former  is  more  the  exception  than  the  rule. 

One  old  woman  kindly  came  to  me  and  offered  a  generous 
slice  of  the  "  ivhale-gujn"  she  was  feasting  on.  Reaching  out  my 
hand,  with  one  stroke  of  her  "  ood-loo"  (a  woman's  knife — an  in- 
strument like  a  mincing-knife)  she  severed  the  white,  fibrous 
strip  quick  as  thought.  It  cut  as  old  cheese.  Its  taste  was  like 
unripe  chestnuts,  and  its  appearance  like  cocoa-nut  meat.  But  I 
can  not  say  this  experiment  left  me  a  very  great  admirer  of 
whale's  gum,  though,  if  the  struggle  was  for  life,  and  its  preserva* 
tion  depended  on  the  act,  I  would  undoubtedly  eat  whale's  gum 
until  I  got  something  better  to  my  liking. 

On  September  5th,  while  taking  a  walk  on  Look-out  Island, 
half  a  mile  south  of  the  ship,  I  discovered  a  large  piece  of  what 
I  supposed  to  be  iron  mineral,  weighing  19  pounds,  and  "in  shape 
and  appearance  resembling  a  round  loaf  of  burned  bread."  Cir- 
cumstances afterward  furnished  me  with  many  interesting  par- 
ticulars of  this  piece  of  iron,  and  ultimately  I  ascertained  it  to  be 
an  undoubted  relic  of  Frobisher's  Expedition.^ 


A  BOAT  INCIDENT.  133 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Boat  Incident. — Life  hanging  on  a  Shoe-string. — Courage  of  Esquimaux  Boys. — 
Author's  Escape. — Decoinj)oscd  Rocks. — Tes-sv-win. — Arrival  of  the  Georgiana. — 
Author's  Sickness  and  Recovery. — Attention  of  the  Natives. — Independent  Char- 
acter of  the  Esquimaux. — Deserving  the  attention  of  l*hihmtIiro])ists. — A  fearful 
Gale. — The  Rescue  and  the  Expedition  Boat  wrecked. — Tiio  Georgiana  on  Shore. 
— Tlio  George  Ilmry  in  great  Danger. — Gale  abates. — The  Georgiana  got  off  the 
Rocks  undamaged. — She  departs  for  Northumberland  Inlet. 

The  incidents  connected  with  my  cvery-day  life  for  some  time 
at  this  period,  though  never  without  novelty  to  myself,  would,  I 
fear,  seem  to  present  a  sameness  of  character  if  too  often  brought 
forward  in  the  disjointed  form  in  which  they  occurred.  I  will, 
therefore,  occasionally  throw  together  several  matters  that  refer 
to  the  same  subject,  though  scattered  over  the  next  two  or  three 
weeks. 

Of  these  not  the  least  interesting  to  me  was  the  native  habits 
and  customs  as  displayed  in  their  beautiful  villages.  I  was  never 
tired  viewing  them,  and  at  every  opportunity  was  on  shore  among 
their  tuples — summer  tents. 

At  other  times  I  would  make  an  excursion  to  some  of  the 
many  islands  around  the  ship,  for  the  purpose  of  exercise  and  col- 
lecting specimens.  I  took  one  or  more  of  the  natives  with  me 
generally,  and,  on  a  certain  occasion,  the  following  incident  oc- 
curred : 

In  the  morning  of  September  8th,  I  went  over  in  a  boat  to  an 
island.  I  had  with  me  a  little  "  one-eyed"  Esquimaux  compan- 
ion, and,  after  about  three  hours'  ramble,  wc  returned  to  the  land- 
ing only  to  find  the  boat  entirely  out  of  our  reach.  The  tide  had 
risen  so  mucU  that  approach  to  it  was  quite  out  of  the  question. 
The  fastening  of  the  boat  was  to  a  rock  now  far  out,  and  beneath 
the  waters !  Here  was  a  dilemma.  What  was  I  to  do  ?  The 
dashing  waves  threatened  every  moment  to  surge  away  the  boat; 
and  if  that  went,  and  wc  were  left  upon  that  solitary,  barren  isl- 
and for  a  night,  the  probability  was  wc  should  both  suffer  great- 
ly. There  was  no  other  way  of  getting  off  but  by  the  boat,  and 
the  tide  was  still  fast  rising.    For  a  time  I  was  puzzled  what  to 


134  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

do.     But,  as  "  necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention,"  I  at  length 
bethought  mo  of  a  plan.    If  I  had  a  line  long  enough  to  allow  of 
a  stone  attached  to  it  being  thrown  into  the  boat,  all  would  prob 
ably  be  right.    But  I  had  no  line.   What  then  could  I  do  ?    Pres 
ently  an  idea  struck  me.     The  telescope-case,  containing  a  spy 
glass  (which  swung  to  ray  side),  had  a  long  leathern  strap.    My  ma^ 
rine  (opera)  glass  was  also  pendent  from  my  neck  by  a  piece  of 
green  curtain-cord.     The  native  boots  on  my  feet  were  made  fast 
by  strong  thongs  of  sealskin.    Quickly  these  were  tied  together 
and  made  into  a  line  of  some  twenty  feet  long.    To  tL  is  a  moder- 
ately heavy  stone  was  attached,  and  with  a  good  throw!  man- 
aged to  cast  it  into  the  boat.    With  a  steady,  gentle  pull,  the 
boat  was  once  more  within  reach,  and  my  Esquimaux  companion 
and  myself  able  to  rejoin  the  living  world  I 

It  is  said  that  "  our  lives  often  hang  upon  a  brittle  thread !" 
True,  indeed.  Certainly  it  was  something  like  it  in  the  present 
case,  and  I  believe  there  can  be  no  impropriety  in  saying  that 
mine  and  my  little  Esquimaux's  depended  for  once  upon  a  strony 
shoestring  ! 

Another  boat  adventure  may  be  here  worth  narrating.  About 
a  month  after  the  previous  occurrence  I  went  on  "Look-out"  H- 
and  to  spend  the  day  making  observations,  etc.  Two  young  Es- 
quimaux accompanied  me;  but,  though  the  place  where  Handed 
was  only  about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  ship,  we  were  some  time 
getting  there,  and  on  arrival  I  found,  from  the  high  breakers 
ashore,  it  would  be  better  to  send  the  boat  back.  The  troubled 
sea  was  such  that  in  a  little  time  the  boat,  if  left  there,  would  have 
been  pounded  to  pieces.  I  wrote  a  note  to  the  ship,  asking  for 
one  of  the  working  boats  to  call  for  me  at  evening.  As  the  two 
boys  went  off  in  the  boat,  no  small  anxiety  was  caused  by  wit- 
nessing the  difficulty  and  delay  they  experienced  in  reaching  the 
ship.  And  no  wonder.  The  boat  they  had  to  manage  was 
twenty-eight  feet  long  and  six  feet  beam,  and  this  to  take  across 
a  channel  where  the  sea  is  often  very  considerably  However, 
the  tide  helped  them,  and  in  time  they  got  alongside. 

In  the  evening  one  of  our  whale  -  boats  came  for  me  under 
charge  of  Mr.  Rogers,  who  also  found  much  difnculty  in  approach- 
ing any  place  where  I  could  get  on  board.  He  neared  a  rock 
upon  which  I  stepped,  but  instantly  found  myself  slipping.  I  had 
in  hand  and  about  my  person  sextants,  artificial  horizon,  nautical 
and  surveying  books,  tape  measurer,  etc.,  etc.,  and  there  I  was, 


ARRIVAL  OF  TES-SU-WIN.  185 

poised  upon  the  edge  of  a  precipitous  rock,  fixed  in  deep  water, 
with,  furious  surf  around  it !  I  felt  alarmed,  more  perhaps  for  xny 
instruments  than  myself,  for  the  former  would  be  lost,  while  I 
might  readily  be  saved.  All  of  the  boat's  crew  were  anxiously 
bending  their  eyes  upon  me  as  I  kept  slipping,  and  for  a  moment 
unable  to  help  myself.  But,  thanks  to  my  Esquimaux  boots, 
which  had  been  well "  chewed"  by  the  native  women,  I  was  able, 
by  a  great  effort,  to  press  my  feet  and  toes  upon  the  ice-covered 
rock,  until  Keeney^  the  "boat-header,"  managed  to  spring  on  shore 
to  my  assistance,  and  in  another  moment  I  was  in  the  boat.  Thus 
I  was  saved  on  this  occasion  simply  by  the  flexibility  of  Esqui- 
maux boots ! 

One  Sunday  after  dinner  I  took  the  dingey,  a  small  boat  be- 
longing to  the  ship,  and,  accompanied  by  four  Esquimaux  boys, 
directed  it  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains  north  of  our  harbor.  The 
mountains  are  God's  temples ;  to  them  I  like  to  bend  my  steps  on 
Sundays. 

"  God,  that  made  the  world  and  all  things  therein,  seeing  that 
he  is  Lord  of  heaven  and  eafth,  dwcUeth  not  in  temples  made 
with  hands." 

I  used,  therefore,  to  say,  "  To  what  place  shall  I  go  where  I 
can  better  worship  my  God  than  on  the  mountains?  IIow  can  1 
so  well  learn  His  power  as  looking  upon  and  contemplating  Ilis 
almighty  works?" 

After  leaving  the  boat  in  a  safe  little  harbor,  we  began  our  up- 
ward tramp,  and  I  was  much  interested  in  a  pile  of  rock  which 
seemed  nearly  undermined  by  old  Father  Time.  The  remaining 
stone  was  feldspar ;  that  which  had  been  eaten  out — a  stratum  of 
five  feet  thick — was  composed  of  mica  and  a  small  proportion  of 
quartz.  The  distance  excavated  in  some  places  could  not  have 
been  less  than  three  or  four  fathoms !  At  first  it  seemed  decidedly 
venturesome  to  go  under  this  rock  shed ;  but,  on  witnessing  the 
firmness  of  the  feldspar,  its  immense  height,  length,  and  breadth, 
it  restored  my  confidence. 

I  greatly  enjoyed  my  walk,  and  returned  on  board  without 
mishap  by  the  evening. 

On  the  10th  of  September  we  were  visited  by  some  new-comers 
— an  Esquimaux  called  Tes-su-ivin,  and  his  family  and  boat's  crew. 
They  had  left  Ookookar — Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay — on  the  pre- 
vious day,  bringing  a  letter  from  Captain  Allen,  of  the  Black  Eagle, 
which  vessel  was  still  where  we  had  left  her  on  the  16th  of  Au- 


136  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

gust,  when  sailing  for  this  place.  The  number  in  Tessuwin's  boat 
was  eleven,  including  four  females.  Uc  had  with  him  his  wife, 
Neu-er-ar-ping,  and  a  sister's  child  called  Oy-hig,  meaning  whale. 
Tessuwin  and  his  wife  had  both  been  to  Fox  Chaimel  from  Kera- 
raisuite,  in  Northumberland  Inlet,  and  the  information  they  gave 
me  concerning  those  parts,  and  all  around  the  Frobisher  waters, 
was  very  interesting,  fully  confirming  the  other  reports.  Tessu- 
win had  often  seep,  and,  with  many  others,  visited  in  his  kia  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company's  ships,  as  they  passed  up  Hudson's  Strait. 
He  said  that  very  few  Innuits  now  dwelt  on  Kingaite  (Meta  Incog- 
nita), and  nearly  all  the  native  inhabitants  were  fast  dying  off. 

Soon  after  Tessuwin's  arrival  another  boat  from  Captain  Ty- 
son's ship,  then  at  the  same  place  as  the  Black  Eagle,  came  on 
board,  and  after  a  stay  of  two  days  returned,  taking  back  several 
of  the  natives,  among  whom  was  Kookoodlear,  the  young  wife 
of  one  of  the  George  Henry's  hired  Esquimaux  crew.  Tessuwin 
reft  ns  on  the  15th,  he  having  engaged  himself  and  family  to  Cap- 
tain Allen  for  the  whaling  season. 

A  few  days  after  this,  on  the  18th,  wo  were  much  surprised  at 
the  sight  of  a  vessel  coming  up  the  bay,  and  soon  afterward  we 
ascertained  she  was  the  Georgiana,  Cajitain  Tyson.  It  was  even- 
ing when  she  neared,  passing  on  the  opposite  side  of  some  small 
islands  that  inclosed  us  in  our  harbor.  As  she  was  going  along 
about  three  or  four  knots  an  hour,  suddenly  I  perceived  her  upon 
a  rock,  and  in  another  moment  her  bow  was  raised  some  four 
feet  higher  than  the  stern.  All  was  then  confusion.  A  boat  was 
seen  to  take  a  line  out,  but  the  increasing  darkness  prevented 
much  being  observed,  and  I  felt  great  anxiety  as  to  her  fate. 
Fortunately,  the  tide  was  on  the  flood,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  I 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  her  again  free.  In  ten  minutes  more 
she  dropped  anchor  about  two  cable  lengths  from  us. 

The  following  days  an  interchange  of  visits  took  place,  and 
new  life  was  diffused  by  the  friendly  spirit  of  emulation  created 
between  the  two  ships'  companies  in  whaling.  One  day,  when 
the  boats  were  out,  it  was  seen  by  those  of  us  who  remained  on 
board  that  a  whale  had  been  captured,  but  at  first  we  could  not 
tell  which  ship's  company  were  the  victors,  By-and-by  it  was 
ascertained  to  be  the  George  Henry's,  and  I  here  mention  it  to  re- 
late an  instance  of  generous  feeling  on  the  part  of  Captain  Tyson. 

When  Smith,  who  was  the  lucky  caj)tor,  had  fastened  to  the 
whale,  and  was  looking  for  means  to  secure  his  prize.  Captain  Ty- 


WIIALE-SKIN  GOOD  FOR  FOOD.  137 

son,  in  liis  boat,  came  up,  and,  without  a  word,  proceeded  to  lance 
the  huge  monster  so  as  to  render  him  incapable  of  farther  resist- 
ance. Directly  this  was  done,  TyvSon  left,  to  go  cruising  for  oth- 
ers; nor  did  he  once  make  anv  proposition  in  reference  to  a  claim 
for  a  share,  as  customary  ong  whalers.  His  act  was  most 
friendly,  especially  so  where        iling  has  so  much  to  create  strife. 

About  this  time  I  was  very  sick — indeed,  had  been  quite  pros- 
trated for  several  days  by  severe  rheumatic  pains.  The  cause 
originated  with  myself  in  consequence  of  needless  exposure.  I 
had , experienced  no  material  illness  before  since  leaving  home, 
and  I  believed,  even  as  I  now  believe,  that  what  Governor  Elberg, 
of  Ilolstcinborg,  said  to  me  about  the  healthy  condition  of  all  who 
reside  in  the  arctic  regions,  as  compared  with  other  parts  of  the 
world,  was  true.  But  I  had  neglected  even  the  commonest  pre- 
cautions during  wei,  cold,  and  fogs,  and  thus  I  now  suffered.  I 
allude  to  it  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  great  sympathy 
evinced  for  me  by  the  Esquimaux  whenever  they  came  on  board. 
Tn  moving  about  near  my  cabin  they  would  walk  on  tiptoe,  as 
though  instructed  in  our  customs  at  home ;  and  on  one  occasion, 
two  little  girls,  OokoodJear  and  a  companion,  wore  so  careful  lest 
they  should  disturb  me,  that  they  would  hardly  turn  over  the 
leaves  of  an  illustrated  Atlas  that  had  been  placed  before  them  for 
their  amusement. 

This  sickness  of  mine  continued,  with  intermissions,  for  several 
days ;  but  eventually  I  triumphed  over  it,  and  was  able  to  move 
about  again  as  I  had  been  accustomed  to.  During  my  sickness 
various  dishes  were  prepared  for  me  from  game  that  was  captured, 
but  I  well  remember  the  joy  I  felt  on  eating  a  portion  of  a  rein- 
deer's tongue,  brought  on  board  by  some  of  the  Esquimaux  after 
a  successful  hunt.  The  previous  day  all  hands  had  been  eating 
(and  relishing  it  too)  some  soused  "  black  skin"  of  the  whale,  and 
I  had  freely  taken  of  my  share,  but  the  satisfaction  was  nothing 
compared  to  that  produced  by  the  reindeer  tongue.  Neverthe- 
less, I  still  assert  that  the  black  skin  is  good,  cither  rmo  or  cooked; 
and,  when  prepared  as  pig's  feet  arc  in  the  States,  it  is  luxurious. 

At  this  time  the  George  Henry  was  feeding  and  employing  in 
the  whaling  service  thirteen  Esquimaux — that  is,  two  boats'  crews 
and  one  over.  They  got  three  meals  a  day  in  the  cabin.  The 
ration  to  each  was  one  sea-biscuit,  a  mug  of  coffee,  and  a  slice  of 
salt  junk.  Besides  this,  they  were  furnished  with  all  the  pipes, 
tobacco,  clothing,  guns,  and  ammunition  they  wanted.     In  return. 


138  AUCTIC  KESEAKCII  EXPEDITION. 

they  generally  went  out  cruising  for  whales  just  when  they 
pleased,  came  back  when  they  pleased,  and  did  as  they  pleased. 
If  one  or  several  took  an  idea  to  go  olf  deer-hunting,  or  for  any 
other  object,  away  ho  or  they  would  go.  They  ivould  be  inde- 
pendent in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  and  restraint  was  what 
they  could  not  brook. 

We  Americans  talk  about  "  freedom  and  independence,"  but 
we  arc  fixr  behind  these  Northerners.  While  we  are  pleased  with 
shadows,  the  dusky  sous  of  an  arctic  clime  enjoy  the  substance. 
They  loill  do  Jis  they  please,  without  any  one  having  the  ackijpwl- 
edged  right  or  power  to  say  to  them,  "  Why  do  you  so  ?" 

I  could  say  much,  very  much  upoi  this  subject,  but  perhaps  it 
may  be  considered  out  of  place,  therjforc  leave  it  for  another  op- 
portunity. Still,  I  must  make  one  remark.  The  Esquimaux 
really  deserve  the  attention  of  the  philanthropist  and  Christian. 
Plant  among  them  a  colony  of  men  and  women  having  right- 
minded  principles,  and,  after  some  patient  toil,  glorious  fruits  must 
follow.  I  can  not  realize  the  fact  that  here  is  a  people  having 
much  of  nobleness  and  even  greatness  in  their  composition,  yet 
unvisited  and  apparently  uncared-for  by  the  missionary  world. 
Nothing,  however,  could  be  done  toward  their  good  until  a  course 
is  adopted  similar  to  that  pursued  by  the  King  of  Denmark  with 
Greenland.  It  is  a  painful,  but  too  evident  fact,  that  the  Esqui- 
maux on  the  west  of  Davis's  Straits  are  wofuUy  debased,  and  fall- 
en from  their  original  virtues — though  possessing  many  still — ow- 
ing to  the  visits  of  reckless  white  men  on  their  coasts.  In  Green- 
land the  case  is  different.  There,  under  the  Danish  king's  con- 
trol. Christian  colonies,  churches,  schools,  store-houses,  and  stores 
of  every  needful  variety,  are  to  be  found  interspersed  from  Cape 
Farewell  to  Upcrnavik,  and  the  inhabitants  comfortable  and  hap- 
py. Priests  and  catechists,  schoolmasters  and  schoolmistresses,  are 
educated  to  their  several  posts,  and  are  well  paid  for  their  serv- 
ices from  his  majesty's  coffers.  Danes  emigrate  to  the  land,  mar- 
ry and  intermarry  with  the  Esquimaux.  Knowledge  and  virtue, 
industry  and  prosperity,  are  the  results.  And,  notwithstanding 
the  expenses  for  the  support  of  all  this,  including  the  salaries  of 
inspectors,  governors,  and  several  scores  of  employes,  yet  the  net 
proceeds  of  this  apparently  desolate  land  exceed  ten  thousand 
dollars,  federal  money,  per  annum!  This  is  well  for  Greenland. 
Paying  for  all  her  imports ;  paying  the  expenses  of  some  ten  ships 
annually  from  and  to  Copenhagen ;  paying  all  the  other  expenses 


A  FEARFUL  GALE.  189 

namecl,  including  missionaries,  and  yet  realizing  an  annual  return 
of  net  profit  for  the  King  of  Denmark  of  ten  thousand  dollars  1 
IIow  many  nations  of  this  modern  day  do  better  ?  And,  with 
this  fact  before  us,  why  shall  not  the  same  occur  (adopting  the 
same  plan)  in  the  land  of  the  Esquimaux  on  the  west  side  of  Da- 
vis's Straits  ?  Let  my  countrymen  look  to  it  whenever  the  first 
opportunity  arrives. 

On  the  27th  day  of  September  (1860)  there  broke  upon  us  that 
fearful  gale  which  caused  the  loss  of  my  expedition  boat  and  the 
far-famed  Rescue,  drove  the  Qeorgiana  on  shore,  and  came  near 
proving  the  destruction  of  the  George  Ucnry  and  all  on  board.  As 
it  was  of  so  serious  a  character,  I  will  here  give  the  particulars  in 
detail. 

Wednesday,  the  26th,  commenced  with  light  winds  from  the 
N.E.  At  noon  it  began  to  snow,  with  an  increasing  breeze.  At 
1  P.M.  all  the  boats  came  on  board  from  their  cruising-ground, 
and  preparations  were  made  for  bad  weather.  The  wind  now 
rapidly  increased  to  a  gale,  and  at  8  P.M.  the  second  anchor  was 
let  go,  with  all  the  cable  given  that  could  be 'allowed  without  let- 
ting the  George  Henry  get  too  near  the  rocky  island  astern  of  us. 
The  schooner  liescue,  at  this  time,  was  about  fifty  fathoms  distant 
on  our  starboard  bow,  and  the  brig  Georgiana  a  little  more  easter- 
ly. At  9  P.M.  the  gale  was  still  increasing,  and  a  heavy  sea  rising. 
At  this  time  the  deck  watch  came  in  the  cabin  and  reported  that 
the  Rescue  was  dragging  her  anchors,  and  as  we  looked  upon  her 
dark  form  through  the  thick  darkness  of  the  night,  it  seemed,  as 
she  kept  moving  by,  that  her  destruction  was  inevitable  and  im- 
mediate. But,  when  abeam  of  us,  she  held  on,  though  pitching 
and  surging  heavily.  The  Georgiana  was  seen  but  faintly,  and  it 
appeared  as  if  she,  too,  was  in  great  danger.  A\,  11  P.M.  it  was 
blowing  a  perfect  hurricane,  with  thick  snow,  and  just  then  we 
could  perceive  the  brig  driving  a.stcrn  toward  the  island.  She 
had,  as  we  afterward  learned,  broken  her  small  anchor,  and  drag- 
ged her  large  one.  On  she  went,  driving  heavily,  amid  the  wild 
stir  of  the  elements,  and  the  awful  darkness  of  that  snow-storm 
night — on  and  on,  with  nothing  to  save  her,  until  presently  we 
could  see  she  had  struck  upon  the  island  leeward  of  us,  where, 
after  "  worrying"  her  anchor  round  a  point  of  land,  she  got  into 
some  slightly  smooth  water,  and  there  continued  pounding  her 
larboard  side  on  the  rocks.  The  crew  now  left  her  and  went  on 
to  the  island,  expecting  every  moment  that  she  would  part  her 


140  AUCTIC  RESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

remaining  cliain,  and  so  bo  driven  out  into  tlio  bay,  where  tlicro 
would  bo  no  possible  chaneo  of  saving  their  lives. 

Meanwhile,  we  ourselves  were  momentarily  expecting  destruc- 
tion. It  did  not  seem  possible  that  our  aneliors  could  hold. 
Wind,  and  storm,  and  a  raging  sea  appeared  to  be  combined 
against  us.  Thirty  souls,  besides  near  a  score  of  natives,  were  on 
board,  and  all  prei)aring  for  the  moment  when  it  was  probable 
the  (iw)-'j<:  J/ciir/j  would  be  adrift  on  the  rocks.  lUit,  thanks  to 
Providence  and  our  good  anchors,  wo  did  not  stir,  though  at  no 
time  very  fur  from  the  rocks.  Every  now  and  then  I  was  on  deck, 
not  to  hear  the  howling  winds,  for  the  whole  cabin  below  resound- 
ed with  their  roar,  but  to  gaze  upon  the  terrible  scene.  And 
what  a  scene !  It  was  truly  awful.  Never  before  had  I  seen  its 
hke — never  had  I  pictured  to  my  imagination  the  reality  of  such 
a  night.  As  I  tried  to  steady  myself  by  holding  fast  to  some 
fixed  rope,  my  eyes  were  spell-bound  by  the  fearful  sight  before 
me.  There  behind  was  the  brig,  pouncbng  away  upon  the  rocks ; 
and  here,  closer  to  us,  was  our  consort,  tlic  schooner,  phinging 
and  chafing  at  her  anchors  as  if  mad  at  the  restraint  put  upon 
her,  and  insanely  desirous  oflotting  go  her  hold  to  rush  upon  the 
shore.  Ever  and  anon  would  she  throw  her  bows  low  down,  tak- 
ing up  the  briny  sea,  and  then,  swiftly  surging  to  and  fro,  spring 
fearfully  on  her  chains.  On  the  rocky,  desolate  island  astern, 
the  moving  figures  of  those  belonging  to  the  brig  could  be  dis- 
cerned, evidently  doing  their  best  to  keep  warm  in  that  bitter 
night.  Through  the  rigging  of  our  ship  came  the  howling  wind 
and  the  driving  snow,  while  the  fierce  waves  played  and  leaped 
about  in  the  wildest  fury.  Yes,  it  was  indeed  a  fearful  sight,  es- 
pecially as  it  was  increased  in  horror  by  the  dread  uncertainty  of 
our*  own  and  our  consort's  continued  safety. 

At  length  these  our  fears  were  in  part  fulfilled.  Toward  morn- 
ing the  hurricane  became  stronger.  Every  blast  seemed  as  il' 
about  to  tear  us  from  our  hold,  then  lii't  us  into  the  air  and  hurl 
us  upon  the  rocks  for  destruction.  Presently  our  e}es  caught 
sight  of  the  Rescue  in  a  moment  dashing  before  the  storm  toward 
the  dreaded  shore.  She  had  parted  chain,  and,  with  one  bound, 
went  hopelessly  broadside  on,  amid  the  breakers  at  her  lee. 
Thump !  thump !  crash !  crash !  away  the  tottering  masts !  the 
ropes,  the  bulwarks,  the  all  of  what  was  once  the  noble-looking, 
beautiful,  and  renowned  schooner  Rescue  !  In  and  among  the 
rocks,  with  their  jagged  tops  tearing  her  to  pieces,  and  the  boil- 


THE  RESCUE  AND  EXPEDITION  BOAT  WIIECKED.  143 

ing  surges  driving  over  her  clecks,  as  the  snow-storm  poured  its 
heavy  drift  around,  even  as  if  it  were  a  wondrous  funeral  shroud, 
so  did  the  doomed  craft  meet  its  fate. 

So,  too,  was  my  expedition  boat  torn  fronj  its  moorings,  and, 
sharing  the  Jicsctui's  sad  end,  doomed  mo  also  to  a  wreck  of  dis- 
appointment in  the  hopes  I  had  cherished  concerning  her.  And 
all  this  wo  saw  as,  with  startled  gaze  and  anxious  thought,  wo 
stood  on  dock,  powerless  to  save,  and  equally  powerless  to  avert 
our  own  doom,  if  it  should  come. 

The  night  passca  on.  The  morning  light  slowly  and  cheer- 
lessly pierced  through  the  increasing  thickness  of  falling  snow  ns 
it  flew  past  us  on  the  driving  wind.  Dimly  at  first,  then  more 
distinctly,  but  still  in  dread  spcctro-likc  form,  loomed  up  the  rug- 
ged island  scene,  with  its  wrecks  and  desolation.  Figures  all  but 
indistinct  were  moving  about,  and  the  two  ships  were  pounding 
upon  the  roclcs,  tearing  at  their  anchors  as  if  in  the  most  con- 
vulsive death-throes.  The  licscw:  was  on  her  broadside,  with  her 
bow  easterly,  and  evidently  breaking  up.  The  Ocortjianu,  being 
in  a  more  sheltered  spot,  appeared  to  bo  less  hurt.  But  it  was 
neccs.sary  to  do  something,  if  possible,  to  release  the  men  from 
their  position  on  shore,  and  get  them  on  board  of  us,  for  we  seem- 
ed now  likely  to  hold  on.  Accordingly,  the  moment  a  lull  in  the 
wind  took  place,  which  was  at  9  A.M.  of  the  27th,  a  whale-boat 
was  carefully  lowered  and  passed  astern.  Into  it  two  brave 
hearts,  ^fate  Rogers  and  a  seaman,  stopped,  with  a  view  of  ven- 
turing through  the  boiling  waves  and  surf  to  try  and  assist  their 
wrecked  comrades.  Cautiously  the  boat  was  allowed  to  drift  off 
toward  the  island,  a  strong  and  good  line  of  great  length  attach- 
ed to  it  from  the  ship.  Skillfully  was  it  gui(l>  over  the  seas 
and  through  the  breakers.  Mate  Rogers  and  his  uold  compan- 
ion well  and  nobly  did  their  work.  Jn  a  few  moments  the  boat 
was  under  the  liescue's  projecting  bowsprit,  and  speedily,  though 
requiring  exceeding  e.ire,  Captain  Tyson,  his  crow,  and  those  who 
had  been  on  board  o^  the  schooner  got  into  her.  A  short  time 
more,  and  all  were  standing  safely  on  the  Gcorf/e  Ilenri/s  deck. 

At  noon  both  the  stranded  ships  were  pounding  very  heavily 
on  the  rocks,  and  jumping  their  anchors  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
cause  the  two  vessels  to  move  their  position  more  round  the  isl- 
and, though  in  opposite  directions.  Thus  it  conf  lued  through- 
out all  of  the  27th,  the  wind  increasing  rather  than  the  contrary. 
But  on  the  following  morning  the  gale  abated,  and  at  nine  o'clock 


144  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

a  party  of  our  people  managed  to  get  on  shore.  We  found  the 
larboard  side  of  the  litscue  badly  stove,  but  the  Oeorgicma,  by  be- 
ing in  a  much  less  exposed  place,  was  perfectly  tight,  and  com- 
paratively uninjured.  Ilcr  crew  soon  afterward  took  possession 
of  her  again,  and  ultimately  she  was  got  off  the  rocks,  and  once 
more  anchored  in  deep  water. 

As  for  the  3vcti(',  after  a  careful  examination,  it  was  found  she 
was  too  fur  damaged  to  be  repaired  with  any  means  at  our  com- 
mand. Accordingly,  it  was  determined  to  totally  abandon  her ; 
and  this  was  put  in  execution  the  following  day  by  clearing  her 
hold  of  all  the  contents,  and  saving  whatever  was  valuable  of  her 
material. 

I  went  on  shore  to  examine  what  remained  of  the  schooner, 
and  also  to  look  after  my  expedition  boat.  I  found  my  boat  to- 
tally wrecked,  nothing  remaining  but  the  stern-post  fast  to  a 
three-inch  cable.  It  appeared  that  during  a  part  of  the  gale  she 
had  been  driven  high  up  on  the  rocks,  and  though  the  Gcorffumd's 
crew  endeavored  to  save  her  by  additional  fastenings,  her  fate  was 
sealed.  The  tempestuous  elements  would  not  allow  her  to  escape, 
and  she  was  broken  to  pieces  in  the  fury  of  the  storm. 

I  need  not  say  how  much  I  grieved  at  the  loss  of  my  boat.  To 
me  it  was  irreparable,  and  for  a  time  I  was  nearly  overcome  by 
the  blow ;  but  I  reasoned  that  all  things  were  for  the  best  in  the 
bands  of  ^,  good  Providence,  and  I  therefore  bent  submissively  to 
His  will. 

The  natives  who  had  been  on  board  of  the  Georgiana  were  ftn 
the  island  when  I  landed.  They  had  found  the  sail  of  my  boat, 
and  turned  it  to  account  as  a  shelter,  and  now  were  as  happy  and 
merry  as  though  nothing  unusual  had  occurred. 

The  Rescue,  when  I  examined  her,  was  high  and  dry  on  the 
rocks,  with  her  bottom  stoye  in.  I  mounted  her  side  (her  decks 
were  inclining  to  the  shore  at  an  angle  of  45°);  I  entered  her  cab- 
in, looked  into  her  hold,  and  again  desqcndcd  outside,  going  un- 
der and  around  her.  Then,  as  1  gazed  at  her  battered  hull,  griev- 
ing at  the  end  she  had  come  to,  what  a  number  of  interesting  as- 
sociations crowded  upon  my  mind.  She  had  been  of  the  "United 
States'  Grinnell  Expedition"  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin  in 
1850-1,  being  the  consort  of  the  Advance,  in  which  latter  vessel 
Dr.  Kane  afterward  made  that  memorable  voyage  (the  second 
Grinnell  Expedition)  in  search  of  Franklin  in  1853-5.  The  Res- 
cuers quondam  consort,  after  having  given  forth  freely  of  its 


AUTHOR'S  PLANS  AFTER  LOSING  HIS  BOAT.  145 

planks  and  timbers  for  the  preservation  and  warmth  of  Dr.  Kane 
and  his  party,  was  finally  given  up  to  the  ices  of  the  North  which 
unrelentingly  grasped  it.  The  Advance  was  abandoned  Sunday, 
May  20th,  1855,  in  Rensselaer  Ilarbor,  lat.  78°  37'  N.,  and  long. 
70°  40'  W.  Five  years,  four  months,  and  seven  days  after  this 
occurred  the  total  wreck  of  the  Rescue,  in  a  harbor  named  after 
her,  situated  in  lat.  62°  52'  K,  and  long.  64°  44'  W.,  nearly  due 
south  of  her  former  consort. 

After  well  examining  the  Rescue,  I  went  to  the  wreck  of  Koo- 
jesse's  whale-boat,  lying  on  the  windward  side  of  the  island. 
This  boat  had  been  fast  to  the  schooner's  stern,  and,  of  course, 
went  on  the  rocks  at  the  same  time.  She  had  originally  belong- 
ed to  Kudlago,  having  been  given  to  him  in  1858.  When  Kud- 
lago  left  for  the  States  in  1859,  he  gave  the  boat  to  Koojesse  to 
use  until  his  return.* 

I  may  add  here  that  an  oomien  (woman's  or  family  boat)  be- 
longing to  the  natives  went  adrift  during  the  storm  and  became 
a  total  wreck.  A  boat  of  this  kind  is  of  great  value  to  the  Esqui- 
maux, and,  when  lost,  is  to  them  something  akin  to  the  loss  of  a 
first-class  ship  to  us  at  home. 

I  must  now  say  a  few  words  concerning  myscF.  Even  in  the 
midst  of  the  howling  tempest,  when  our  own  safety  on  board  the 
George  Henry  was  a  matter  of  doubt,  my  thoughts  kept  turning  to 
what  I  should  do,  now  that  my  expedition  boat  was  lost.  JUit  it 
did  not  take  mc  long  to  consider.  I  was  determined  that,  God 
willing,  notliing  should  daunt  me ;  I  would  persevere  if  there  was 
the  smallest  chance  to  proceed.  If  one  plan  failed — if  one  disas- 
ter came,  then  another  plan  should  bo  tried,  and  the  disaster  rem- 
edied to  the  best  of  my  power.  Thus,  without  delay,  and  while 
yet  the  hurricane  blasts  made  the  ship  tremble  beneath  us,  as  the 
captain  and  I  stood  on  her  deck,  I  asked  him  if  one  of  the  ship's 
boats  could  be  spared  me  to  prosecute  my  voyage  to  King  Wil- 
liam's Land,  now  that  my  own  little  craft  was  wrecked.  His  re- 
ply, after  some  consideration,  was  fovorable;  but,  when  the  time 
approached  for  my  departure,  it  was  found  the  one  that  alone 
could  be  spared  to  mc  was  frail,  rotten,  and  not  seaworthy. 

*  Before  I  close  tliis  nccount  of  the  Rescue's  wreck  and  the  loss  of  my  expedition 
boat,  with  the  escape  of  tlic  Geon/c  Henry,  it  may  bo  interesting  to  mention  tliat  this 
hitter  vessel  did  not  live  through  another  voyage  after  iier  return  to  the  States  in 
1862.  She  was  wrecked  the  IGth  day  of  July,  18G3,  on  one  of  the  lowv  Savage 
Islands  in  Hudson's  Strait,  about  100  miles  farther  south  than  Kescuu  Ilarbor.  The 
l)articulars  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix  (G). 

K 


U6 


ARCTIC  KESEAUCU  EXPEDITION. 


On  the  1st  of  October  the  Georgiana,  having  made  good  her  de- 
fects so  far  as  she  could,  left  the  harbor  under  all  sail  for  Nor- 
thumberland Inlet  to  winter.  By  her  I  forwarded  letters  lo 
friends  at  home,  should  she  meet,  as  was  expected,  with  whalers 


returning  to  England. 


EK-KK-I-U-YUN, 

the  white-stone  aalmon-bait  used  by  Esquimaux. 


SPLENDID  DISPLAYS  OF  THE  AURORA.  147 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Splendid  Displays  of  the  Aurora. — "The  World  on  Fire."  —  Arrival  of  Captiiiii 
Parker  in  the  True-love. — Visit  to  his  Ship. — Niknjar  the  Pilot. — Anecdotes  of 
Parker's  Arctic  Exj)ericnces. — First  Interview  with  the  Innuits  Ehierhitig  and 
Tookoolito. — Their  previous  Visit  to  England  and  Presentation  to  Royalty. — The 
Accomplisliments  of  Tookoolito. — Ecnoolooapik.  —  A  Walk  on  Shore  -Snow- 
storm.— A  natural  Causeway. — Fluctuations  of  the  Compass  Needle  —Tookoo- 
lito at  Work. — She  tries  to  Educate  her  People. — Her  Po  v..  u  f  .  Good. — Ad- 
vantages of  a  Mission  Colony. — Difference  of  Language  among  ihe  Esquimaux. — 
CiD'/i'c/ecA'eH,  M'Clintock's  Interpreter. — Tookoolito  rebuking  Swearers. 

For  several  days  now  our  life  was  of  a  very  monotonous  de- 
scription, except  so  far  as  varied  by  the  visits  of  Esquimaux,  who 
were  frequently  on  board  performing  different  avocations  more 
or  less  useful  to  us.  Scrubbing  the  cabin  floor,  sewing  and  dress- 
ing sealskins,  were  some  of  the  occupations  that  engrossed  their 
time.  Occasionally  the  younger  members  were  ready  pupils  un- 
der my  hand  in  trying  to  learn  whatever  I  could  teach  them  of 
civilized  education. 

But  at  this  time  the  phenomena  of  Nature  frequently  gave  me 
intense  delight.  The  aurora,  in  all  its  glorious  brilliancy,  shone 
forth  on  several  nights,  and  often  did  I  linger  on  deck  gazing 
upon  it,  with  my  soul  entranced  by  the  sight.  It  is  impossible 
for  me  to  give  a  just  and  full  description  of  the  immeasurable 
beauty  and  grandeur  of  such-a  scene.  All  I  can  attempt  to  do  is 
to  put  before  the  reader  my  thoughts  and  sensations  at  the  several 
times,  as  recorded  in  my  journal. 

^'■Novemher  23, 1860.  A  few  places  at  six  o'clock  this  evening 
where  the  cerulean  sky  and  stars  can  be  seen.  While  standing  on 
deck  near  the  bow  of  thc^  vessel,  viewing  Mars  in  its  meridian 
passage  at  this  place,  all  at  once  a  bright,  beautiful  beam  of  aurora 
shot  up  midway  between  the  star  and  the  moon.  The  moon — 
some  39°  or  40°  cast  of  Mars — was  shining  brightly,  but  above 
and  below  it  were  cirri  cumuli  clouds.  Between  the  planets  all 
was  clear.  The  aurora  beams  increased  rapidly.  They  were  of 
prismatic  colors  to-night,  pea-green  predominating.  Oh  that  I 
could  pen  or  pencil  the  beauty  of  this  display !  The  kind  of 
clouds  which  I  have  named  are  the  most  distant  of  any.     The 


148 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


aurora,  as  it  frequently  ascended  liigh  in  the  heavens,  plainly- 
painted  its  golden  rays  upon  the  face  of  the  clouds,  thus  proving 
it  was  at  play  between  me  and  them.  Blind  George,  the  Esquimaux, 
was  standing  by  my  side.  I  told  him  what  was  going  on  in  the 
heavens.  I  said  the  moon  was  shining,  and  the  aurora  showing 
off  finely  at  the  time.  Hq  wished,  me  to  place  him  in  position 
that  his  face  might  be  upturned  toward  what  I  saw  and  so  ad- 
mired. This  I  joyfully  did.  Joyfully  do  I  say?  No,  no!  For, 
as  Paulooyer  (Blind  George)  asked  me,  I  saw  that  he  was  possess- 
ed of  an  uncontrollable  yearning,  seeming  to  me  like  that  of  a 
pinioned  eagle,  to  soar  away  to  the  regions  of  the  stars.  He 
sought  to  tear  away  the  curtains  which  God,  in  his  own  dispensa- 
tion, had  seen  fit  to  place  before  his  eyes,  that  he  might  again  see 
the  handiwork  of  Him  who  made  the  stars,  the  world,  and  all 
that  is  therein. 

"  My  ecstasy  in  the  beauty  of  the  scene  before  me  was  caught 
up  by  the  spirit  of  George,  thus  making  him  an  object  worthy  of 
a  poet's  pen — worthy  of  lasting  remembrance." 


TUB  ArRORA,  NOV.  33,  1860. 


On  another  occasion,  December  3d,  I  find  myself  saying,  "The 
aurora  commenced  its  fantastic  dances  at  6  P.M.    It  now  stretches 


AUBOBAt  DECEMUEB  17,  1860, 


"THE  WORLD  ON  FIRE."  151 

its  arch  across  the  heavens  from  S.E.  to  W.,  the  whole  sontlierly 
of  the  vessel.  Though  not  at  first  so,  yet  now  their  base  is  of 
prismatic  colors.  I  know  of  no  phenomenon  more  deeply  inter- 
esting than  that  which  is  to  be  seen  hero  every  fair  night  in  the 
aurora." 

Again,  on  another  morning,  December  17th,  at  six  o'clock,  ] 
write,  "  The  heavens  are  beaming  with  aurora.  The  appearance 
of  this  phenomenon  is  quite  changed  from  what  it  has  been. 
Now  the  aurora  shoots  up  in  beams  scattered  over  the  whole 
canopy,  all  tending  to  meet  at  zenith.  How  multitudinous  are 
the  scenes  presented  in  one  hour  by  theauroral  This  morning 
the  changes  are  veiy  rapid  and  magnificent.  Casting  the  eye  in 
one  direction,  I  view  the  instantaneous  flash  of  the  aurora  shoot- 
ing up  and  spreading  out  its  beautiful  rays,  gliding  this  way,  then 
returning,  swinging  to  and  fro  like  the  pendulum  of  a  mighty 
clock.  I  cast  my  eyes  to  another  point;  there  instantaneous 
changes  are  going  on.  I  close  my  eyes  for  a  moment ;  the  scene 
has  changed  for  another  of  seemingly  greater  beauty.  In  truth, 
if  one  were  to  catch  the  glowing  heavens  at  each  instant  now 
passing,  his  varied  views  would  number  thousands  in  one  hour. 
Who  but  God  could  conceive  such  infinite  scenes  of  glory  ?  Who 
but  God  execute  them,  painting  the  heavens  in  such  gorgeous 
display  ?" 

At  another  time  the  aurora  presented  a  neiv  phase,  rays  shooting 
athwart  the  southwestern  sky  parallel  with  the  horizon. 

Later  still,  March  11th,  I  say:  "It  seemeth  to  me  as  if  the 
very  doors  of  heaven  have  been  opened  to-night,  so  mighty,  and 
l>eaukons,  arid  viarvelous  were  the  waves  of  golden  light  that  a  few 
moments  ago  swept  across  the  'azure  deep,'  breaking  forth  anon 
into  floods  of  wondrous  glory.  God  made  His  wonderful  works 
to-night  to  be  remembered.  I  have  witnessed  many  displays  of 
the  aurora  since  making  anchorage  in  this  harbor,  a  great  many 
of  them  of  surpassing  magnificence,  yet  what  I  beheld  this  night 
crowns  them  all.  I  could  never  have  anticipated  the  realization 
of  such  a  scene ! 

"  I  was  not  alone  enjoying  it.  Captain  Budington  and  Mate 
Gardiner  were  with  me,  and  we  all  looked  on  in  wondrous  yet 
delighted  awe. 

"  The  day  had  been  fine,  with  a  moderate  wind  from  the  north- 
west. When  the  sun  went  down  behind  the  ridge  of  mountains 
limiting  the  bay,  a  perfect  calm  followed,  with  a  sky  absolutely 


152  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

cloudless.  At  4  P.M.  there  had  been  seen  one  solitary  and  pecul- 
iar cloud  hanging  in  the  heavens  to  the  north  about  16°  above 
the  horizon.  This  cloud  was  a  deep  dark  blue,  looking  much  like 
the  capital  letter  S.  This  at  last  disappeared,  and  the  night  set 
in,  still  beautiful  and  mild,  with  myriads  of  stars  shining  with  ap- 
parently greater  brilliancy  than  ever. 

"I  had  gone  on  deck  several  times  to  look  at  the  beauteous 
scene,  and  at  nine  o'clock  wjis  below  in  my  cabin  going  to  bed 
when  the  captain  hailed  mo  with  the  words,  '  Come  above,  Hall,  at 
once!    The  world  is  on  fike!' 

"I  knew  his  meaning,  and,  quick  as  thought,  I  redressed  my- 
self, scrambled  over  several  sleeping  Innuits  close  to  my  berth, 
and  rushed  to  the  companion  stairs.  In  another  moment  I  reach- 
ed the  deck,  and  as  the  cabin  door  swung  open,  a  dazzling,  over- 
powering light,  as  if  the  world  was  really  ablaze  under  the  agency 
of  some  gorgeously-colored  fires,  burst  upon  my  startled  senses  ! 
How  can  I  describe  it  ?  Again  I  say,  no  mortal  hand  can  truth- 
fully  do  so.  Let  me,  however,  in  feeble,  broken  words,  put  down 
ray  thoughts  at  the  time,  and  try  to  give  some  faint  idea  of  what 
I  saw. 

"My  first  thought  was,  'Among  the  gods  there  is  none  like 
unto  Thee,  0  Lord ;  neither  are  there  any  works  like  unto  Thy 
works  P  Then  I  tried  to  picture  the  scene  before  me.  Piles  of 
gc.den  light  and  rainbow  light,  scattered  along  the  azure  vault,  ex- 
tended from  behind  the  western  horizon  to  the  zenith ;  thence 
down  to  the  eastern,  within  a  belt  of  space  20°  in  width,  were  the 
fountains  of  beams,  like  fire-threads,  that  shot  with  the  rapidit}' 
of  lightning  hither  and  thither,  upward  and  athwart  the  great 
pathway  indicated.  No  sun,  no  moon,  yet  the  heavens  were  a 
glorious  sight,  flooded  with  light.  Even  ordinary  print  could 
have  been  easily  read  on  deck. 

"Flooded  with  rivers  of  light.  Yes,  flooded  with  light;  and 
such  light!  Light  all  but  inconceivable.  The  golden  hues  pre- 
dominated; but,  in  rapid  succession,  ^m?7ia<("c  colors  leaped  forth. 

"  We  looked,  we  SAW,  and  trembled  ;  for,  even  as  we  gazed, 
the  whole  belt  of  aurora  began  to  be  alive  with  flashes.  Then 
each  pile  or  bank  of  light  became  myriads ;  some  now  dropping 
down  the  great  pathway  or  belt,  others  springing  up,  others  leap- 
ing with  lightning  flash  from  one  side,  while  more  as  quickly 
passed  into  the  vacated  space ;  some,  twisting  themselves  into 
folds,  entwining  with  others  like  enormous  serpents,  and  all  these 


MOKE  OF  AUROUAL  MAGNIFICENCE.  I53 

movements  as  quick  as  the  eye  could  follow.  It  seemed  as  if 
there  was  a  struggle  with  these  heavenly  lights  to  reach  and  occu- 
py the  dome  above  our  lieads.  Then  the  whole  arch  above,  be- 
came crowded.  Down,  down  it  came ;  nearer  and  nearer  it  ap- 
proached us.  Sheets  of  golden  flame,  coruscating  while  leaping 
from  the  auroral  belt,  seemed  as  if  met  in  their  course  by  some 
mighty  agency  that  turned  them  into  the  colors  of  the  rainbow, 
each  of  the  seven  primary,  3°  in  width,  sheeted  out  to  21° ;  the 
prismatic  bows  at  right  angles  with  the  belt. 

"  While  the  auroral  fires  seemed  to  be  descending  upon  us,  one 
of  our  number  could  not  help  exclaiming, 

"  '  Hark  I  hark !  such  a  display  I  almost  as  if  a  warfare  was  go- 
ing on  among  the  beauteous  lights  above — so  palpable — so  near 
— seems  impossible  without  noise.' 

"  But  no  noise  accompanied  this  wondrous  display.  All  was 
silence. 

"  After  we  had  again  descended  into  our  cabin,  so  strong  was 
the  impression  of  awe  left  upon  us  that  the  captain  said  to  me, 

" '  Well,  during  the  last  eleven  years  I  have  spent  mostly  in 
these  northern  regions,  I  never  have  seen  any  thing  of  the  aurora 
to  approach  the  glorious  vivid  display  just  witnessed.  And,  to 
tell  you  the  tndh,  Friend  Uall,  /  do  not  care  to  see  the  like  ever 
ugahi.'' " 

That  this  display  was  more  than  ordinarily  grand  Wcis  evi- 
denced by  the  testimony  of  the  Innuits,  particularly  Tookooli- 
to,  who,  when  she  came  on  board  a  few  days  afterward,  stated 
that  she  had  been  much  struck  by  its  remarkable  brilliancy,  and 
that  "it  had  exceeded  in  beauty  and  niagnilicence  all  displays 
ever  before  witnessed  by  her."  I  would  here  make  the  remark 
that  the  finest  displays  of  the  aurora  only  last  a  few  moments. 
Though  it  may  be  playing  all  night,  yet  it  is  only  now  and  then 
that  its  grandest  displays  are  made.  As  if  marshaling  forces, 
gathering  strength,  compounding  material,  it  continues  on  in  its 
silent  workings.  At  length  it  begins  its  trembling  throes;  beau- 
ty anon  shoots  out  here  and  there,  when  all  at  once  the  aurora 
flashes  into  living  hosts  of  poiodered  coruscating  rainbows,  belting 
the  lieavenly  dome  with  such  gorgeous  grandeur  sometimes  that 
mortals  tremble  to  behold  I 

On  October  13th  we  had  an  unexpected  arrival.  A  steamed' 
and  a  sailing  vessel  were  observed  coming  up  from  sea,  and  in 
the  evening  both  vessels  anchored  on  the  opposite  side  of  Field 


154 


AUCTIC  RESEAUCU  EXl'EUITION. 


Bay.  Ill  a  slicji-t  tinio  wo  ascertained  that  the  strangers  were 
well-known  English  whalers,  being  no  less  than  the  famous  Cap- 
tain Parker,  of  the  True-love^  and  his  son,  commanding  the  steam- 
ship Lady  Cetia.  They  had  come  from  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay 
in  less  than  a  day,  leaving  Captain  Allen,  of  the  Black  J'At;/h;  there. 
Intelligence  of  our  schooner's  wreck  had  reached  them  at  that 
place  a  few  days  after  it  had  occurred,  an  Esquimaux  and  his 
wife  having  traveled  by  hind  and  carried  the  news. 

Directly  there  was  an  opportunity  I  })aid  a  visit  to  the  new- 
comers, starting  from  our  ship  early  in  the  morning.  Ugarng's 
boat  and  crew  took  me  there.  The  party  consisted  of  liimself, 
his  wife  Nikujar,  and  child,  Kokcrjabin  (Kudlago's  widow),  Ster- 
ry,  and  myself,- besides  other  Esquimaux. 

When  we  were  one  mile  from  Look-out  Island  the  sun  was  lift- 
ing his  bright  face  from  the  sea.  The  whole  ridge  of  mountains, 
running  southeasterly  to  "  Hall's"  Island  of  Frobisher,  was  in 
plain  sight,  covered  with  white,  and  as  wo  o'^proached  them,  no 
opening  into  the  harbor  where  the  vesst '  \vere  supposed  to  he 
could  be  seen.  But  Nikujar,  being  a  capital  pilot,  knowing  every 
channel  and  inlet  within  two  hundred  miles  of  our  anchorage,  the 
steering-oar  was  given  to  her;  and  there,  seated  upon  the  logger- 
head, with  her  pretty  infunt  in  its  hood  behind  her  neck,  she  steer- 
ed us  correctly  to  the  spot. 


MIK-U-JAK,  TIIK  IIOAT  HTKEBEB  AM)  riLDT. 


rAHKElt  AND  TIIK  "TUUE-LOVE."— NlKUJAli  THE  PILOT.     155 

With  a  few  good  strokes  of  the  oars,  wc  soon  entered  the  snug 
little  cove  where  the  Parkers  had  taken  shelter,  in  a  inuinent 
or  two  after  passing  the  steamer  wo  were  standing  on  the  deck 
of  the  True-love,  most  kindly  welcomed  by' Captain  Parker,  senior, 
and  shortly  afterward  by  his  son,  who  came  on  board.  I  there 
found  "Blind  George,"  who  immediately  recognized  my  voice, 
calling  mc  by  name,  and  saying,  "How  do  you,  Mitter  Hall?" 
and  then,  without  waiting  for  reply,  adding, "  Pretty  well,  I  tank 
you !" 

I  was,  indeed,  right  glad  to  again  meet  this  noble  but  afflicted 
Esquimaux.  The  four  times  I  had  seen  him  at  Cornelius  Griiinell 
Bay  caused  him  to  bo  much  impressed  upon  my  memory,  and 
now,  strangely,  here  he  was,  and  actually  in  ])resence  of  Niknjar, 
who  was  his  former  wife,  before  Ugarng  took  her  away  and  made 
her  his  Ugarng,  however,  could  support  the  woman,  and  poor 
blind  CJrorge  could  not;  hence  the  latter  had  to  submit,  and  be 
content  with  an  occasional  visit  of  their  oidy  child,  as  an  idol 
which  he  cherished  even  more  than  his  own  life. 

Captain  Parker  soon  took  me  into  his  cabin,  and  had  an  ex- 
cellent breakfast  spread  on  the  table.  After  this,  conversation 
turned  ujjon  niany  subjects  of  a  most  interesting  nature.  He  had 
brought  his  ship,  guided  by  an  Esquimaux  pilot — Ebierbing  — 
from  Niountelik,  in  Northumberland  Inlet,  to  Cornelius  Grinnell 
Bay,  througli  a  channel  128  miles  long,  and  not  above  one  to  two 
miles  broad,  behind  a  line  of  i.slands  facing  the  sea.  The  steamer 
towed  the  sailing  ship,  as  no  ves.sel  of  their  size  could  pass  up  or 
down  such  a  channel  unless  with  a  fair  wind.  In  the  ehanncl 
the  flood  tide  runs  south,  while  elsewhere  it  runs  north.  Ca})tain 
Parker  said  the  scenery  was  most  magnificent,  and  there  was 
plenty  of  salmon,  deer,  and  other  game.  Altogether  it  was  a  trip, 
as  he  expressed  it,  that  I  would  have  been  delighted  with. 

Among  tho  many  incidents  related  to  me  by  Captain  Parker, 
one  or  two  may  be  worth  recording  here.  He  said  that  in  I808— i 
he  had  been  down  Prince  Begent's  Inlet  as  far  as  Cape  Kater,  in 
company  with  the  Jsahdla,  Captain  Humphreys,  who  rescued  Sii- 
John  Koss  and  his  companions  after  their  four  years'  abode  in  an 
icy  home.  Parker  had  seen  Ross's  boats  while  on  their  way  to 
escape,  but  supposing  them  to  be  the  Isabella's,  took  no  especial 
notice.  In  Regent's  Inlet,  he  said,  there  were  hundreds  of  whales 
between  Cape  York  and  Cape  Kater.  He  had  caught  five  off 
Cape  Kater,  and  twenty -three  more  between  there  and  Cape 


150  AllCTIC  IIKSKAIICH  KXPKniTION. 

York.  SonlH,  imrwlmls,  white  whales,  uml  tho  wivlruH,  woro  also 
in  great  abniKhuico. 

Ill)  likewise  (le.seril)('(l  to  mo,  in  a  most  grnphio  manner,  the  ter- 
rible storm  of  1830  in  HaHin's  Hay,  when  tweiily-tvvo  ves-sels  were 
wrecked,  ami  yet  his  own  Hhip  eseapeil  without  tho  ulightcst  dam- 
age. One  thouHand  men  had  to  make  good  their  rctre  it  upon  the 
ice  toward  the  Danish  Hettlemcjits,  some  000  miles  distant,  and  all 
arrived  safely  with  the  exception  of  two,  who  died  from  tho  ef- 
fects of  spirituous  liquors  they  injudiciously  drank. 

Captain  J'arkcr,  ai  the  time  I  saw  him,  was  sixty-nino  years  of 
age,  and  good,  to  all  appearance,  for  half  a  score  more  in  the  arc- 
tie  regions,  lie  had  been  navigating  those  northern  seas  (whal- 
ing) lor  forty-five  years,  with  an  interval  of  about  five  yeans,  when 
he  rested.  lie  commenced  in  1815,  and  was  a  connnander  in 
1820.  He  had  never  lost  a  ship.  On  the  present  voyage  neither 
nmi  /i(i(/  (t  rlironomekr.  They  depended  upon  dead  reckoning  for 
their  longitude. 

'J'lieie  was  a  doctor  on  board,  quite  a  young  man,  and  appa- 
rently of  merit,     lie  had  been  one  year  in  Springfield,  Ohio. 

The  True-love  is  well  known  in  arctic  history  as  coimectcd 
with  the  late  searching  i3xpoditions.  In  184!)  she  landed  some 
coals  at  Cape  Hay,  in  Lanca.ster  Sound,  as  requested  by  Lady 
Franklin,  who  sent  them  out,  that  fuel  might  be  depo-sitcd  at  ev- 
ery likely  .spot  where  litn'  husband  and  his  companions  might  pos- 
.sibly  visit.  This  remarkable  vessel  is  100  years  old,  and  was  built 
in  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

I  explained  to  Captain  Parker  all  about  my  plan.s,  and  he  ex- 
pressed himself  much  interested  in  them,  promising  to  let  me 
have  a  boat  I  desired,  as  an  additional  one  to  that  I  should  get 
from  the  (nvn/e  Jleitnj,  and  which  would  be  needed  to  carry  my 
stores. 

On  Captain  Parker's  invitation  I  remained  to  dinner,  and  then, 
after  a  most  agreeable  visit,  returned  to  the  George  Henry. 

In  a  few  days  after  this  both  the  Parkers  suddenly  went  to  sea 
— as  we  supposed,  driven  out  of  their  anchorage  by  a  gale  that 
bad  been  blowing,  and,  owing  to  this,  I  did  not  receive  the  boat 
promised  me,  nor  were  we  able  to  send  home  the  letters  that  had 
been  prepared. 

It  was  about  this  time  I  was  visited  by  two  Esquimaux,  man 
and  wife,  who  will  henceforth  often  appear  in  my  narrative,  and 
who,  together  with  a  child  afterward  born  to  them,  accompanied 


EUIKUDINO  AND  TOOKOOLITO.  157 

mo  to  the  RtatoH.  The  rnati'H  nuiiio  was  Khierbing  —  otherwiuc 
culled  by  us  "Joe" — his  wile's,  Tciokoolilo,  or"  llaiiliuh." 

I  was  itiibrrned  that  this  couple  had  been  taken  to  England 
in  1853,  ond  presented  to  ^cr  majesty  Queen  Victoria,  and  that 
the  female  was  a  remarkably  intelligent,  and  what  might  be  called 
an  aceomplished  woman.  They  had  remained  nearly  two  years 
in  (Jreat  IJritain,  and  wero  every  where  well  received.  1  heard, 
moreover,  that  she  was  the  sister  of  To-lo  und  Kc-n()o-loo-u-jtik\ 
both  celebrated  in  their  coi  itry  as  great  travelers  and  intelligent 
men,  and  the  latter  well  known  in  Kngland  from  his  vi.sit  there 
in  IbHl),  and  from  a  menu  r  of  him  published  by  Surgeon  Mac- 
donald,  of  the  ill-fated  Fraidvlin  Kxpedition.  Mbierbing  was  a 
good  pilot  for  this  coast,  and  had  brought  Captain  Parker's  ship 
through  the  channels,  as  already  narrated.  At  the  time  of  the 
gale,  when  my  boat  and  the  /ir.scnc.  were  wnicked,  he  was  up  in 
Northumberland  Iidet,  and  also  lost  a  boat  of  his  own. 

When  I  visited  Captain  Parker  "Joe"  was  not  on  board,  nor 
did  I  know  much  of  him  until  the  above  i)articulars  were  furnish' 
cd  to  m(>.  I  was,  therefore,  naturally  an.xious  to  .sec  this  couple, 
and  looked  forward  to  our  meeting  with  much  hope  that  it  wt)ulil 
prove  not  only  i)lcasing,  but  useful  in  many  ways.  The  first  in- 
terview I  had  is  recorded  in  my  journal  as  follows: 

"iVow;m/*rr  2, 18G0.  While  intently  occupied  in  my  cabin,  writ- 
ing, I  heard  a  soft,  sweet  voice  say  'Good  morning,  sir.'  The 
tone  in  which  it  was  spoken — musical,  lively,  and  varied — instant- 
ly told  mo  that  a  lady  of  refinement  was  there,  greeting  me.  .1 
was  astonished.  Could  I  be  dreaming?  Was  it  a  mi.stakc?  No! 
I  was  wide  awake,  and  writing.  But,  had  a  thunder-clap  sound- 
ed on  my  car,  though  it  was  snowing  at  the  time,  I  could  not 
have  been  more  surprised  than  I  was  at  the  sound  of  that  voice. 
I  raised  my  head:  a  lady  was  indeed  before  me,  and  extending 
an  ungloved  hand. 

"Of  course,  my  welcome  to  such  an  unexpected  visitor  in  these 
regions  was  as  befitting  as  my  astonished  faculties  for  the  mo- 
ment could  make  it.  The  doorway  in  which  she  stood  leads 
from  the  main  cabin  into  my  private  room.  Directly  over  this 
entrance  was  the  skylight,  admitting  a  flood  of  light,  and  thus  re- 
vealed to  me  crinoline,  heavy  lounces,  an  attenuated  toga,  and  an 
immensely  expanded  '  kiss-me-quick'  bonnet,  but  the  features  I 
could  not  at  first  make  out. 

"  '  Coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before  them.'     Ladies  are 


158  AUCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

events  casting  lanhra  and  penumhra  along  wherever  their  path- 
way be,  thus  bespeaking  glory  about  them  constantly.  Knowing 
the  philosophy  of  all  this  even  belbre  leaving  the  States,  I  imme- 
diately tried  to  do  honor  to  my  unknpwn  visitor.  But,  on  turn- 
ing her  face,  who  should  it  be  but  a  lady  Esquimaux  !  Whence, 
thought  I,  came  this  civilization  refinement?  But,  in  a  moment 
more,  I  was  made  acquainted  with  my  visitor.  She  was  the  Too- 
koolito  I  had  so  much  desired  to  see,  and  directly  I  conversed 
with  her  she  showed  herself  to  be  quite  an  accomplished  person. 
She  spoke  my  own  language  fluently,  and  there,  seated  at  my 
right  in  the  main  cabin,  1  had  a  long  and  interesting  conversa- 
tion with  her.  Ebierbing,  her  husband — a  fine,  and  also  intelli- 
gent-looking man — was  introduced  to  me,  and,  though  not  speak- 
ing English  so  well  as  his  wife,  yet  I  could  talk  with  him  tolera- 
bly well.  From  them  I  gleaned  many  interesting  particulars  of 
their  visit  to  England,  and  I  was  gratified  to  hear  that  they  had 
actually  dined  with  Prince  Albert,  who  treated  them  very  kindly, 
and  with  much  consideration. 

"  Ebierbing,  in  speaking  of  the  queen,  said  he  liked  her  very 
much,  and  she  was  quite  '  pretty.'  He  also  said  that  Prince  Albert 
was  a  '  very  kind,  good  man,  and  he  should  never  forget  him.'  " 

The  following  conversation,  as  copied  from  my  journal,  written 
at  the  time,  will  show  the  sentiments  of  Tookoolito  on  civilizei 
life. 

I  asked  her  how  she  would  like  to  live  in  England.  She  re- 
plied, "  I  would  like  very  well,  I  thank  you." 

"  Would  you  like  to  go  to  America  with  me  ?"  said  I. 

"I  would  indeed,  sir,"  was  the  ready  reply. 

In  reference  to  the  Queen  of  England,  she  said, 

"I  visited  her,  and  liked  the  appearance  of  her  majesty,  and 
every  thing  about  the  palace.     Fine  place,  I  assure  you,  sir." 

Tookoolito  was  suffering  with  a  cold,  and  I  noticed  that  when- 
ever she  coughed  she  threw  her  face  on  one  side  and  held  her 
hand  before  her  lips,  the  same  as  any  lady  of  good  manners  would. 
Her  costume  was  that  of  civilization,  being  a  dress  with  heavy 
flounces,  an  elegant  toga  made  of  young  tuktoo  fur  deeply  fringed, 
and  a  bonnet  of  the  style  invented  on  the  principle  "cover  the 
head  by  a  rosette  on  its  back  I" 

As  Tookoolito  continued  speaking,  I  could  not  help  admiring 
the  exceeding  gracefulness  and  modesty  of  her  demeanor.  Sim- 
ple and  gentle  in  her  way,  there  was  a  degree  of  calm  intellectual 


LOST  IN  A  SNOW-STORM.  159 

power  about  her  that  more  and  more  astonished  me.  I  felt  de- 
lighted beyonu  measure,  because  of  the  opportunity  it  gave  me 
for  becoming  better  acquainted  with  these  people  through  her 
means,  and  I  hoped  to  improve  it  toward  the  furtherance  of  the 
great  object  I  had  in  view. 

After  a  stay  of  some  duration  she  went  on  shore,  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  I  visited  her  and  her  husband  at  their  tent.  She  was 
then  in  native  costume,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  this  suited  her 
even  better  than  the  other. 

Some  short  time  after  this,  I  made  an  excursion  by  myself  to 
the  island  on  which  was  situated  the  Esquimaux  "North  Star" 
village. 

The  day  became  stormy  after  I  had  landed  in  one  of  the  native 
boats,  but  I  continued  my  walk,  accompanied  by  the  dogs,  to  a 
part  of  the  island  I  wished  to  visit.  On  arriving  there,  I  found  a 
sort  of  natural  caiiseivcu/,  formed  of  stones,  leading  to  a  smaller 
islet,  and,  crossing  it,  I  continued  examining  the  locality  for  some 
time.  At  length  the  snow-storm  increased  so  much  as  to  compel 
my  return,  and  I  made  my  way  back  to  the  south  side  of  the 
main  island. 

But  now  I  could  hardly  see  my  way.  The  snow  came  down 
so  thick  that  I  was  fain  to  take  shelter  under  the  lee  of  some 
rocks  near  me,  and,  while  there,  I  examined  my  compass  to  as- 
certain if  I  was  going  right.  To  my  astonishment,  I  found  the 
course  I  had  pursued  was  exactly  the  reverse  of  the  right  one.  I 
looked  again  and  again,  and  yet  the  needle  pointed  exactly  oppo- 
site to  what  I  had  expected.  What  was  I  to  do  ?  retrace  my 
steps  ?  For  a  moment  I  hesitated ;  but  at  length  moving  on,  I 
was  about  walking  back  as  I  had  come,  when,  on  looking  at  the 
compass  again,  I  found  it  just  the  opposite  of  what  it  was  before  ! 
Strange,  thought  I.  Surely  there  must  be  local  attraction  in  the 
rocks  where  I  took  shelter.  But  still  it  made  mo  anxious,  espe- 
cially as  the  weather  was  becoming  worse.  Indeed,  I  felt  it  ver}"- 
possible  I  might  be  lost  in  the  storm,  and  perhaps  have  to  wander 
about  all  the  coming  night,  or  be  frozen  to  death  by  remaining 
stationary,  should  the  compass  play  me  another  trick ;  but  at  last, 
thanks  to  my  faithful  dogs,  they  actually  guided  me  straight  to 
the  village,  where  1  arrived  without  any  mishap. 

The  one  I  entered  was  Ebierbing's.  He  himself  had  gone  out, 
but  Tookoolito  welcomed  me  as  usual,  soon  entering  into  lively 
and  instructive  conversation.    Two  native  boys  were  there  at  the 


160  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

time,  and  Tookoolito  lierself  was  busy  knitting  socles  for  her  hus- 
band! Yes,  to  my  surprise,  she  was  thus  engaged,  as  if  she  had 
been  in  a  civilized  land  and  herself  civilized,  instead  of  being  an 
Esquimaux  in  her  own  native  wilds  of  ice  and  snow  I 

It  was  a  strange  contrast,  the  sight  within  that  tent  and  the 
view  without.  The  latter  presented  a  picture  of  barrenness  and 
storm ;  the  former  much  that  tended  to  the  idea  of  warmth  and 
home.  Knitting  stockings  for  her  husband!  How  much  of  dear 
home  was  in  that  favorite  domestic  occupation!  Then,  too,  her 
voice,  her  words  and  language,  the  latter  in  my  own  vernacular, 
were  something  more  than  common  in  that  region.  I  have  before 
said  that  she  was  peculiarly  pleasing  and  refined  in  her  style  and 
manners;  and  now,  while  sheltering  nie  beneath  her  hospitable 
roof,  with  the  bright  lamp  before  me,  the  lively  prattle  of  the  two 
boys  came  in  strong  contrast  to  the  soft  tones  of  her  partly  civil- 
ized tongue  as  my  mind  opened  to  receive  all  she  uttered. 

What  she  said,  and  what  my  impressions  were  at  the  time,  will 
be  found  in  the  following  extract  from  my  journal : 

"  November  l-ith,  1860.  Tookoolito,  after  returning  from  En- 
gland five  years  ago,  where  she  and  her  winrj-a  (husband)  spent 
twenty  months,  commenced  diffusing  her  accomi)lishments  in  va- 
rious ways,  to  wit,  teaching  the  female  portion  of  the  nation,  such 
as  desired,  to  knit,  and  the  various  useful  things  practiced  by  civ- 
ilization. In  all  the  places  around  Northumberland  Inlet  she  has 
lived,  and  done  what  she  could  to  improve  her  people.  A  singu- 
lar fact  relative  to  dressing  her  hair,  keeping  licr  face  and  handj 
cleanly,  and  wearing  civilizalnon  dresses — others  of  her  sex,  in  con- 
siderable numbers,  follow  these  fashions  imported  by  her.  This 
shows  to  me  what  one  person  like  Tookoolito  could  accomplish 
in  the  way  of  the  introduction  of  schools  and  churches  among 
this  people.  To  give  this  woman  an  education  in  the  States,  and 
subsequent  employment  in  connection  with  several  of  our  mis- 
sionaries, would  serve  to  advance  a  noble  and  good  work.  And 
yet  I  must  state  that,  unless  a  vjorhing  colony^  or  several  of  them, 
were  established,  co-operating  in  this  work,  and  laws  were  made 
by  the  fundamental  power  that  should  be  as  rigid  relative  to  whal- 
ers visiting  the  coasts  as  those  of  Denmark  to  Greenland,  all  would 
be  as  naught. 

"  The  working  or  trading  colony  would  make  its  government, 
school,  and  church  institutions  self-supporting.  Let  the  plan  of 
Denmark  for  Greenland  be  followed.  It  is  a  good  one,  and  works 
well. 


s 


THE  ESQUIMAUX  LANGUAGE.— VARIOUS  DIALECTS.       161 

"  Wliil#  in  the  tent,  Tookoolito  brought  out  the  book  I  had 
given  her,  and  desired  to  be  instructed.  She  has  got  so  she  can 
spell  words  of  two  letters,  and  pronounce  most  of  them  properly. 
Her  progress  is  praiseworthy.  At  almost  every  step  of  advance- 
ment, she  feels  as  elated  as  a  triumphant  hero  in  battle.  She  is 
far  more  anxious  to  learn  to  read  and  write  than  Ebierbing.  I 
feel  greater  confidence  (allowing  it  were  possible  to  feel  so)  in  the 
success  of  my  mission  since  engaging  these  two  natives.  They 
can  talk  with  me  in  my  own  vernacular,  are  both  smart,  and  will 
be  useful  each  in  the  department  they  will  be  called  upon  to  fill. 
Tookoolito  will  especially  fill  the  place  of  an  interpreter,  having 
the  capacity  for  it  surpassing  Karl  Petersen,  the  Dane,  who  has 
been  employed  as  Esquimaux  interpreter  by  various  expeditions 
in  search  of  Sir  Jolin  Franklin — 1st,  by  Captain  Penny,  1850-1 : 
2d,  by  Dr.  Kane,  1853-5 ;  3d,  by  Captain  (now  Sir  Leopold) 
M'Clintock,  1857-9. 

"  Tookoolito,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  readily  accomplish  the  dif- 
ferences in  language  between  the  Innuits  of  Boothia  and  King 
William's  Land,  and  that  of  her  own  people  around  Northumber- 
land Inlet  and  Davis's  Strait.  The  pronunciation  of  the  same 
words  by  communities  of  Esquimaux  living  at  considerable  dis- 
tances from  each  other,  and  having  but  little  intercourse,  is  so  dif- 
ferent that  it  is  with  difliculty  they  are  understood  one  by  the 
other.  I  should  judge,  from  the  very  great  difference  of  the  lan- 
guage as  spoken  by  the  Greenlanders  and  the  natives  on  the  west 
side  of  Davis's  Strait,  tVat  Petersen  was  of  little  lv  rvice  to  M'Clin- 
tock as  an  Esquimaux  interpreter.  This  conclusion  would  be  ar- 
rived at  by  any  one  reading  the  narrative  of  M'Clintock's  inter- 
views with  the  natives  on  King  William's  Land. 

"  The  Greenlanders  have  a  mixed  language  consisting  of  Dan- 
ish and  Esquimaux.  ******  Even  the  intercourse 
of  the  whalers  with  the  Esquimaux  around  Northumberland  In- 
let has  introduced  among  them  many  words  that  are  now  in  con- 
stant use.  Tookoolito  informed  me  to-day  that  the  words  picka- 
ninny, for  infant;  cooney,  for  wife;  pussy,  for  seal;  Husky,  for 
Innuit;  smoketute,  for  pipe,  and  many  other  words,  are  not  Es- 
quimaux, though  in  use  among  her  people. 

"  I  now  complete  the  tuple  interview.  Before  I  was  aware  of 
it,  Tookoolito  had  the  '  tea-kettle'  over  the  friendly  fire-lamp,  and 
the  water  boiling.  She  asked  me  if  I  drank  tea.  Imagine  my 
surprise  at  this,  the  question  coming  from  an  Esquimaux  in  an 

L 


162  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Esquimaux  tent !  I  replied, '  I  do ;  but  you  have  nc^  tea  here, 
ha?vc  you?'  Drawing  her  hand  from  a  little  tin  box,  she  display- 
ed it  full  of  fine-flavored  black  tea,  saying,  'Do  you  like  your  tea 
strong?'  Thinking  to  spare  her  the  use  of  much  of  this  precious 
article  away  up  here,  far  from  the  land  of  civilization,  I  replied, 
'  I'll  take  it  weak,  if  you  please.'  A  cup  of  hot  tea  was  soon  be- 
fore mo — capital  tea,  and  capitally  made.  Taking  from  my  pocket 
a  sea-biscuit  which  I  had  brought  from  the  vessel  for  my  dinner, 
I  shared  it  with  uiy  hostess.  Seeing  she  had  but  one  cup,  I  in- 
duced her  to  share  with  me  its  contents.  There,  amid  the  snows 
of  the  North,  under  an  Esquimaux's  hospitable  tent,  in  company 
with  Esquimaux,  for  the  first  time  I  shared  with  them  in  that 
soothing,  cheering,  invigorating  emblem  of  civilization — T-E-A ! 
Tookoolito  says  that  she  and  her  winga  (husband)  drink  it  nearly 
every  night  and  morning.  They  acquired  a  taste  for  it  in  Eng- 
land, and  have  since  obtained  their  annual  supply  from  English 
and  American  whalers  visiting  Northumberland  Inlet. 

"  By-the-by,  Tookoolito  said  to  me  during  the  entertainment 
just  described, '  I  feel  very  sorry  to  say  that  many  of  the  whaling 
people  are  very  bad,  making  the  Innuits  bad  too;  they  swear 
very  much,  and  make  our  people  swear.  I  wish  they  would  not 
do  so.  Americans  sicear  a  great  deal — mo7-e  and  ivorse  than  the  En- 
glish. I  wish  no  one  would  swear.  It  is  a  very  bad  practice,  I 
believe.N 

"  How,  think  you,  beloved  Americans,  I  felt  with  these  hot  coals 
on  my  head  ?  Oh  that  every  swearing  man,  and  every  saint,  could 
have  seen  and  heard  that  Esquimaux  woman  as  she  spoke  thus ! 
I  had  just  returned  from  a  hard  encounter  with  deep  snow — fall- 
ing snow,  driven  by  almost  a  hurricane  ;  but,  0  God,  give  me  a 
thousand  storms — worse,  if  they  could  be — rather  than  have  the 
like  thundering  in  my  ears  again !  Her  words,  her  looks,  her  voice, 
her  tears,  are  in  my  very  soul  still.  Here,  one  of  the  iron  daugh- 
ters of  the  rocky,  ice-ribbed  North,  standing  like  an  angel,  pleading 
the  cause  of  the  true  God,  weeping  for  the  sad  havoc  made  and 
making  among  her  people  by  those  of  my  countrymen  who  should 
have  been,  and  ever  should  be,  the  glorious  representatives  of 
freedom,  civilization,  and  Christianity !  It  was  too  much  ;  I  was  a 
child.  I  confess,  I  blushed  for  this  stain  upon  my  country's  hon- 
or— not  only  this,  but  for  the  wickedness  diffused  almost  through- 
out the  unenlightened  world  by  the  instrumentality  of  whalers 
hailing  from  civilized  lands. 


TOOKOOLITO  REBUKING  SWEAUEHS. 


163 


"This  I  am  ready  to  admit,  that  some  coinmanders,  some  ofii- 
cers,  and  some  crews  of  whaling  ships  arc  as  they  should  bo,  exem- 
plary men — men  who  take  pleasure  in  doing  good  wherever  they 
are — who  seek  to  extend  the  bounds  ofcivilization,  planting  phil- 
anthropic and  Christian  institutions  where  darkness  and  igno- 
lance  had  before  reigned  universal. 

"Being  now  ready  to  return — three  o'clock  P.M. — Ebici'bing 
kindly  gathered  a  crew  from  among  his  friends  to  convey  me 
aboard.  Much  seko  (ice)  had  set  into  the  cove,  causing  us  great 
trouble  and  delay  to  get  out.  Once  clear,  a  few  strokes  brought 
us  alongside. 

"  10  o'clock,  night,  thermometer  29°,  barometer  29.525 ;  wind 
south — fresh ;  cloudy." 


IIO.NE  SLEDOE-RUNNEB. 


164  AKCTIC  KESEAKCII  EXrEDlTIOff. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Visit  to  Esquimaux  Village. — First  Specimen  of  domestic  Life  nmong  the  Innuits. 
— Seal's  lilood  excellent. — Blind  Geoigo  in  Trouble. — His  j)atertml  AfTection. — 
"Rliick  Skin"  for  Food. — Female  Tongues  good  Cleaners. — The  Angeko. — Ex- 
traordinary Conduct  of  the  Natives. — The  Angcko's  Power. — Mysteries  of  Innuit 
Worship. — Koojesse's  Trejndation. — Angeko's  Cunning.— Choice  of  Wives. — Cu- 
rious Guide  Poles  to  Travelers. — Charley's  independence  of  Angeko.— Ship  beset 
in  the  Ice.  —  Hoar-frost  on  the  Rigging. — Changes  of  Temperature. — Sudden 
Movements  of  the  Ice. — Frozen  in. — A  Bear-hunt.— Author's  first  Encounter  with 
a  Bear.  — Death  of  Bruin.  — Visit  the  Tuple  of  Ebierbing.  — Scarcity  of  Innuit 
Food  and  Fuel. — The  Esquimaux  Lamp. — Patience  and  Perseverance  of  an  In- 
nuit Hunter. — An  Igloo. 

At  this  time  I  frequently  paid  visits  to  the  Esquimaux  village, 
and  one  trip  I  find  recorded  in  my  journal  as  follows : 

^'■October  30.  After  dinner  a  boat  was  sent  frotn  the  ship  to  ob- 
tain some  fresh  water  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  and  I  availed  my- 
self of  the  opportunity  to  go  on  shore.     Smith  had  charge  of  the 
boat,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  we  arrived  at  a  beautiful  little  har 
bor  two  and  a  half  miles  distant  northwesterly  from  the  vessel 
Here  there  was  a  complete  Esquimaux  village,  and  all  the  inhab 
itants,  men,  women,  children,  and  dogs,  rushed  out  to  meet  us, 
Our  crew  consisted  of  five  white  men,  and  each  of  them  soon  en 
gaged  a  native  to  carry  water  to  the  boat,  while  he  himself  sought 
amusement  among  the  tents.     Smith  and  I  walked  on  for  about 
an  eighth  of  a  mile  to  the  lakelet  where  the  water  was  obtained, 
and  put  the  Esquimaux  fairly  to  work.     We  then  returned,  and 
called  at  one  of  the  tents.     Smith,  being  first,  intended  to  pass  in, 
but  had  no  sooner  lifted  the  folding  door  (pendent  skins)  and  in- 
troduced his  head,  than  he  rapidly  withdrew  it  again,  exclaiming, 
•Whew  !    By  thunder,  I'm  not  going  in  there  !    It's  crowded,  and 
smells  horribly.     IIow  it  looms  up !'    He  then  turned  away,  but 
I,  having  more  inducements  to  bear  the  infliction,  determined  to 
pass  in. 

"  Bowing  down  almost  to  a  horizontal  position,  in  went  head, 
shoulders,  body,  and  all.  The  next  second  I  found  myself  butt 
up  against  a  dozen  Esquimaux,  all  lusty  fellows,  and  crowded  to- 
gether in  a  heap,  each  armed  with  a  knife !  But  there  w^as  no 
cause  for  alarm.     The  knives  were  not  for  any  warlike  or  evil 


SEAL-BLOOD  SOUP.  165 

purpose.  They  were  being  used  simply  for  cutting  off  strips  of 
seal,  to  be  shoved  into  tlie  widely-extended  mouths  of  the  hungry 
people  before  me.  Quite  at  the  back  of  the  tent  I  perceived  my 
Esquimaux  friend  Koojesse  seated  between  two  pretty  females, 
all  three  engaged  in  doing  full  justice  to  a  dish  of  sviokmg-hot  seal- 
blood/  Seeing  me,  Koojesse  at  first  seemed  abashed ;  but,  on  my 
expressing  a  readiness  to  partake  of  any  food  they  had  to  spare, 
one  of  the  women  immediately  drew  forth  from  the  stew-pan  about 
four  inches  of  seal  vertebra^,  surrounded  by  good  meat.  I  man- 
aged to  cat  the  latter,  and  then  determined  to  try  the  seal-blood. 
To  my  surprise,  I  found  it  excellent. 

"  On  first  receivhig  the  dish  containing  this  Esquimaux  stew,  I 
hesitated.  It  had  gone  the  round  several  times,  being  replenish- 
ed as  occasion  required;  but  its  external  appearance  was  not  at 
all  inviting.  Probably  it  had  never  gone  through  the  cleaning 
process,  for  it  looked  as  though  such  were  the  case.  But  I  screw- 
ed up  courage  to  try  it,  and  finally,  ■when  the  dish  again  came  to 
those  by  my  side?,  I  asked  Koojesse,  'Pe-e-uke?'  (Is  it  good?) 
'  Armelarnr/^  anndarvg'  (Yes,  yes),  was  the  reply. 

"  All  eyes  were  fixed  upon  mc  as  I  prepared  to  join  with  them 
in  drinking  some  of  their  favorite  soup, 

"Now  the  custom  of  Esquimaux  in  drinking  seal-blood  is  to 
take  one  long  s-o-o-o-p — one  mouthful,  and  then  pass  the  dish  on 
1o  the  rest  till  the  round  is  made.  I  followed  suit,  and,  to  my  as- 
tonishment, found  the  mixture  not  only  good,  but  really  excel- 
lent. I  could  not  have  believed  it  was  so  far  superior  to  what 
my  previous  notions  had  led  me  to  expect. 

"  Seeing  I  was  pleased  with  it,  she  who  presided  at  the  feast  in- 
stantly made  ready  a  prcttj^  little  cup,  which  was  clean  outside 
and  in,  or  as  clean  as  an  Esquimaux  can  make  it,  and  filled  it 
with  the  hot  seal-blood.  This  I  sipped  down  with  as  much  satis- 
faction as  any  food  I  had  eaten  in  my  life ;  and,  in  return  for  the 
friendly  act  of  my  Innuit  hostess,  I  gave  her  a  highly-colored  cot- 
ton handkerchief.  She  was  in  ecstasies  with  it,  and  the  whole 
company  joined  with  her  in  expressions  of  kindness  and  good- 
will toward  mc.  Clearly  I  had  ingratiated  myself  with  one  party 
of  the  natives  here,  and  this  I  was  determined  to  do  in  like  man- 
ner elsewhere. 

"Soon  afterward  I  left  them,  and,  crawling  out  of  their  tent  on 
all-fours,  passed  through  the  village  toward  the  beach.  On  the 
way  I  heard  a  voice  calling  out '  Mitter  Hall — Mitter  Hall ;'  and. 


106  AllCTIC  nESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

on  turning  round,  perceived  poor  '  Blind  George.'  I  went  to  him, 
and  Ibund  that  he  was  in  great  trouble.  lie  tried  to  tell  nio  all 
his  grief,  but  with  difiiculty  could  he  give  utterance  to  his  words. 
'Ugarng,'  said  he,  'Ugarng  home  to-day?  My  pickaninny  away 
go.  Mitter  Ilall,  speak-um,  my  pickaninny — speak-um,  my  pick- 
aninny here.' 

"  The  fact  was  that,  as  already  stated,  Ugarng  had  got  his  child, 
and  the  poor  blind  man  wanted  her  to  be  with  him  fur  a  while. 
[  therefore  spoke  to  Ugarng,  and  often  afterward  little  Kookoo- 
yer  was  seen  by  her  father's  side. 

"  While  in  tlie  village  I  called  at  another  tent,  and  was  treated 
to  a  liberal  piece  of '  black  skin'  after  it  had  been  well  cleansed 
of  foreign  substances  by  the  free  application  of  a  lady's  tongue!" 

On  November  10th  I  again  visited  the  shore,  accompanying 
the  water-boat.  We  found  the  lakelet  frozen  over,  and  that  our 
ice-axe  by  mistake  had  been  left  on  board.  This  would  have 
proved  a  great  annoyance  to  us  had  not  one  of  the  Esquimaux 
(Charley)  brought  his  seal-spear  to  our  aid,  and  speedily  opened  a 
good-si/ccd  "  well-hole."  In  helping  to  carry  the  water,  I  fell  into 
line  with  the  natives,  joining  them  in  their  mirthfulncss  of  heart 
as  they  went  along.  As  we  passed  the  tuples,  every  woman  and 
child  gave  a  joyous  smile  and  kindly  word  to  the  stranger.  It 
was  on  this  occasion,  after  I  had  been  about  two  hours  on  shore, 
that  I  noticed  something  unusual  had  occurred.  An  excited 
crowd  of  natives  were  rapidly  gathering  round  a  young  man  who 
appeared  to  bo  frantically  addressing  them.  Whatever  his  object, 
I  soon  perceived  that  be  contrived  to  greatly  affect  his  hearers. 
One  moment-  he  made  them  like  infuriated  demons ;  at  another, 
they  were  melted  to  tears.  Xow  thej^  were  clenching  their  fists 
and  gesticulating  in  a  maddened  way ;  presently  they  were  calm 
and  full  of  joyful  repose.  It  was  astonishing  the  hold  he  had 
over  the  people  around  him.  So  complete  was  this  power  that  a 
simple  motion  with  the  tip  of  his  finger  would  be  followed  by  de- 
monstrative movements  on  the  part  of  the  audience.  An  Esqui- 
maux might  be  quietly  enjoying  a  smoke,  when  a  word  from  the 
orator  would  bring  the  pipe  from  the  smoker's  mouth  to  the 
speaker's  pouch,  or  into  the  man's  own  pocket,  just  as  directed. 

I  soon  ascertained  that  the  orator  was  an  angcko,  or  wizard- 
man,  and  that'  his  name  was  Minij-u-mui-lo.  Though  young,  he 
was  very  much  credited  by  the  whole  population  of  that  and  the 
neighboring  village.     As  I  approached,  his  eye  soon  caught  mine, 


TUK  ANGEKO.  167 

and  immediately  leaving  hi:}  snow  rostrum,  he  •bounded  like  a 
deer  toward  ine.  Willi  a  face  of  innocence  and  full  of  smiles,  be 
grasped  my  hand  and  welcomed  me  to  his  magic  home;  but, 
though  returning  the  salutation  in  a  friendly  manner,  I  could  not 
so  cordially  evince  pleasure  at  his  acquaintance  as  I  generally  did 
with  others.  It  appeared  to  me  that  he  was  one  of  those  who 
lived  upon  the  credulity  and  ignorance  of  his  race,  and  this 
thought  probably  made  itself  perceptible  on  my  features  ;  at  all 
events,  in  a  moment  or  so  he  left  me,  and,  throwing  his  arm 
around  Ugarng's  neck,  ho  walked  with  him  into  a  tent,  whither 
they  were  soon  followed  by  Charley  and  the  rest  of  our  hired  wa- 
ter-carriers. Koojesso  wjus  of  the  number ;  and,  while  I  was  look- 
ing on,  much  surprised,  loud  and  exciting  words  were  heard  from 
within.  Presently  Koojesse  came  out;  and  upon  my  making  in- 
quiries, ho  told  me,  in  a  cautious  manner,  that  the  uhijcIm  was  at 
work,  as  we  should  call  it,  exorcising  and  otherwise  performing 
various  spiritual  exercises  I 

Fearing  to  be  considered  intrusive,  I  walked  away  toward  the 
boat,  Koojesse  again  taking  up  his  water-bucket  and  continuing 
his  work ;  but  hardly  had  I  reached  the  landing-place  when  down 
came  Mingumailo  with  a  proud  and  excited  step.  lie  took  me 
by  the  arm  and  beckoned  me  to  go  with  him.  I  did  so,  being  de- 
sirous of  witnessing  some  of  the  farther' acts  of  this  curious  and 
important  personage. 

We  walked,  arm  in  arm,  toward  what,  though  only  a  tent,  I 
might  well  style  his  temple,  for  toward  it  several  of  his  worshipers 
were  bending  their  steps.  As  we  passed  along,  Koojesse  was  seen 
in  the  distance  with  a  bucket  of  water  in  each  hand.  In  an  in- 
stant, at  one  word,  one  motion  of  my  companion,  Koojesse, 
though  otherwise  a  man  of  great  intelligence  and  strong  mind, 
left  his  water  just  where  it  was  and  joined  us.  On  approaching 
the  tupic,  Mingumailo  ordered  Koojesse  to  go  in  fust,  and  then 
directed  me  to  follow.  I  did  so  by  falling  upon  my  hands  and 
knees,  and,  in  this  necessary  posture,  entered  the  abode  of  our  Es- 
quimaux prophet.  The  angeko  followed,  and  immediatel}'^  di- 
rected Koojesse  to  take  a  position  on  one  side  of  the  bed  that  was 
within,  and  me  to  be  on  the  other  side.  Next  to  Koojesse  was 
seated  a  pretty  Esquimaux  woman,  one  of  the  nulianas  (wives) 
of  the  angeko,  the  other  wife — for  he  had  two — not  then  being  at 
home. 

Now  commenced  the  solemn  exercises  of  the  peculiar  worshi]> 


168  AnCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

of  these  people^  MiuguiiuuU)  sat  facing  us.  lie  begtin  by  rapidly 
clapping  lii.s  hands;  so  rapidly,  indeed,  that  it  was  impossible  to 
count  the  strokes.  Then  ho  accompanied  this  clapping  by  some 
metaphorical  expressions  beyond  the  power  of  ordinary  intelli- 
gences to  divine;  and,  indend,  no  one  but  an  amjd-o  is  considered 
capable  of  divining  them.  In  fact,  the  word  awjcko  signifies  'Ae  vi 
very  (jreal^  and  this  is  gi\en  as  a  reason  why  none  but  angckofi  — 
the  really  great — nhould  understand.  Of  course,  I  demeaned  my- 
self accordingly,  and  was  as  c^uict  and  serious  a  listener  as  any 
one  there.  Occasionally  the  nti'jeko  would  cease  his  voice  and 
the  motion  of  his  hands.  Then  all  became  still  as  death.  Pres- 
ently, with  renewed  vigor  ho  would  recommence  his  services,  pat- 
ting his  hands — which  were  moved  around  during  the  operation 
— now  in  a  circle,  now  before  mij  face,  now  before  Koqjessc's. 
Another  minute  he  would  pat  the  chest  on  which  ho  sat,  first  on 
(7ne  end,  then  on  the  other,  next  on  this  side,  then  on  that,  after- 
ward ou  the  to}),  and  so  repeating  all  the  operations  again  and 
again.  Every  now  and  then,  with  his  eyes  staring  into  the  far- 
thest recesses  of  the  tent,  he  would  become  fixed  as  marble,  and 
looking  quite  hideous. 

At  such  times  Koojessc  was  brought  into  active  use.  IIo  was 
directed,  as  mucb  by  the  angeko's  signs  as  by  the  sudden  and 
sharp  words  uttered,  to  fix  his  eyes  upon  this  point  of  the  tent, 
then  that,  but  more  particularly  to  where  it  was  said  by  the  wiz- 
ard ^Kudlaifjs  spirit  sliook  the  skin  coirri)iffs.'' 

Poor  Koojesse !  I  could  not  help  pitying  him,  though  myself 
hardly  able  to  control  the  laughter  reigning  within  mc.  There 
he  sat,  largo  drops  of  perspiration  streaming  from  his  nose  (Es- 
(piimaux  sweat  profusely  onl}'  o?i  the  7iose),  and  as  earnest  as 
though  life  and  soul  were  the  issue.  All  at  once  came  unusual 
efforts.  The  climax  was  at  hand.  A  grand  finale  was  to  take 
place,  and  tliis  was  done  with  a  sprinkling  of  clear  words  in  Es- 
quimaux, just  enough  for  Koojessc  and  myself  to  understand. 
The  angeko  spirit  spoke:  'He  was  in  want.  The  hodlwm  {white 
man)  could  relieve  his  wants.  Would  not  the  kodluna  give  the 
.spirit  one  of  the  double-barreled  guns  in  his  possession?' 

This  was  enough.  I  saw  through  the  scheme  in  a  moment; 
but,  though  astounded  at  the  impudence  of  the  proposition,  I  be- 
trayed nothing  to  .show  surprise.  I  merely  turned  to  Koojcsse, 
and  quietly  asked  if  that  was  really  the  angeko's  meaning.  The 
reply,  in  subdued  tones,  was  'yes;'  whereupon  I  flxrthcr  asked 


CIIOieK  OF  THE  ANGKKO'S  WIVES.  IQQ 

him  if  tliiH  man  would  bo  very  useful  in  my  future  explonvtiona 
to  King  William's  Jiiuul;  and  on  being  answered  in  the  aflirma- 
tive,  I  Haid  aloud, '  Well,  if  Angeko  goes  with  mo  next  season,  ho 
shall  have  a  gun  —  one  of  my  best.'  This  made  the  wi/.ard-man 
leap  for  joy  ;  for  ho  thought,  as  1  afterward  found,  that  I  meant  to 
give  it  him  at  once,  lie  grasped  my  hands,  ho  threw  his  arms 
around  my  neck,  ho  danced  about  the  tent,  and  did  many  other 
extravagant  things,  whieh  showed  his  gratification  on  making  such 
a  triutn[)h  of  skill  antl  strategy.  He  had,  as  he  chose  to  believe 
(though  I  immediately  explained,  or  tried  to  explain,  that  the  gift 
was  not  intended  for  the  moment),  accomplished  a  great  feat  in 
eharming  a  kodliimi  into  giving  him  a  gun  as  recognition  of  his 
magical  power.  So  complete  was  his  hap{)incss,  that  he  told  mo  I 
should  have  the  choice  of  his  two  wives,  all  his  tukloo  skins  (rein- 
deer furs)  that  I  might  need,  and  sealskins  for  making  boots,  with 
other  articles  in  abundance.  That  ho  had  great  riches  of  this  de- 
scription—  probably  obtaimed  from  his  credulous  worshipers  — 
was  evident  from  the  rolls  of  beautiful  skins  I  saw  around  me. 

While  the  angeko  was  thus  expressing  himself,  his  second  wife 
came  in,  and  quietly  took  a  position  near  the  household  lamp, 
which  she  began  to  renew  with  fr(>sh  seal-blubber.  This  gave 
Mingumailo  the  opportunity  to  again  jircss  the  oiler  of  one  of  his 
wives  tb  me.  He  begged  of  me,  there  and  then,  to  select  either 
of  them ;  but  I  soop  gave  him  to  understand  I  was  already  sup- 
plied with  a  wife  at  home. 

This,  however,  neither  satisfied  his  ideas  about  matrimony,  nor 
— as  it  appeared — those  of  his  wives ;  for  both  of  them  at  once 
decked  themselves  out  in  all  the  smiles  and  blandishments  that 
they  possessed.  I  asked  them  if  they  really  coincided  in  the  offer 
their  husband  had  made,  and  was  immediately  told  that  they  glad- 
ly did.  However,  T  was  about  again  declining  the  offer,  when 
the  angeko  suddenly  made  a  sign  to  Koojcsse,  and  both  departed, 
leaving  me  alone  with  the  proffered  wives.  I  uttered  a  few  kind 
words  to  them,  and,  giving  each  a  plug  of  tobacco  with  a  friendly 
grasp  of  the  hand,  left  the  tupic  and  went  toward  the  boat. 

On  my  way,  and  just  outside  the  angeko's  tupic,  I  noticed  an 
oar  of  a  kia  stuck  upright  in  a  drift  of  frozen  snow.  Upon  it 
were  suspended  little  packages  done  up  in  red  woolen  rngs,  dif- 
ferently and  ingeniously  arranged.  On  one  side  hung  a  portion 
of  a  well-dressed  sealskin,  beautifully  variegated  by  parti-colored 
patches  sewed  on  to  it  as  if  for  signs.    I  inquired  of  several  Es- 


170  ARCTIC  UKSKAUCII  KXI'i:i)IT10>f. 

qiiitnaux  tlio  meaning  of  this,  but  none  would  inform  mo  till  [ 
mot  Ivoojesso,  who  sniil  it  wan  for  a  guide  to  any  Innuit  Btranger 
traveling  that  way,  and  who  was  thus  welcomed,  as  well  us  direct- 
ed wliat  to  do. 

As  soon  as  Koojossc  had  loft  the  tent,  ho  immediately  set  U> 
work  in  completing  the  operation  of  filling  our  water-cask.     Jlr 

had  been  told  by  Ciii)taiu  IJ to  find,  fill,  and  H(>nd  olf  another 

cask,  left  on  shore  during  .some  stormy  weather  a  lew  days  back, 
and  this  he  now  did  by  directing  nearly  the  whole  inhabitants  of 
tho  village  to  aid  in  the  task.  Kvery  conceivable  article  possessed 
by  the  natives  that  would  hold  water,  from  a  pint  up  to  a  gallon, 
vva.s  brought  into  requisition.  A[ost  of  these  articles  were  mailr 
of  tin,  supplied  by  tho  various  whaling  .ships  visiting  Northum- 
berland Inlet,  but  it  would  have  puzzled  a  whito  man  to  detect 
any  difl'ercncc  between  their  color  ami  n  negro's.  Somo  of  thf 
vc.<.scl.s,  however,  were  made  of  wV.y/(W,' .skins,  and  were  excellent 
affairs — water-tight,  light,  but  strong,  and  in  no  danger  of  being 
broken  or  indented. 

As  soon  as  the  one  cask  in  our  boat  was  full  wo  were  ready  foi 
starting,  when  it  was  ascertained  that  Ugarng  aiul  Kuiuiiu  were 
absent.  Seeking  for  them  caused  some  slight  delay,  ami,  mean- 
while, Angcko  began  his  tricks  again.  By  signs  he  first  ordered 
one,  and  then  another  of  the  Esquimaux,  to  do  this  and  do  that, 
and,  with  a  single  exception,  all  obeyed.  Tho  exception  was 
Kooporncung  (Charley),  who,  standing  in  the  boat's  stern,  wa.*- 
smoking  a  Jtipe.  lie  was  told  by  the  angcko  to  put  away  his 
pipe;  but  Charley,  with  the  same  smiling  face  that  he  generally 
possessed,  laughed  loud  and  heartily  as  he  laid  hold  of  his  pipe, 
gave  it  a  swing,  and  replaced  it,  smoking  away  as  before.  Evi- 
dently Charley  was  an  Independent,  though  I  imagined,  from 
what  I  had  seen  of  him  before  going  to  the  wizard's  tent,  that  his 
bravado  now  was  more  because  ho  was  under  present  civilized 
rule  than  from  any  real  strength  of  mind  in  the  matter. 

The  other  natives  pulling  the  boat  were  servilely  obedient.  At 
a  signal  from  tho  angcko,  who  swung  his  arms  on  high,  my  Innuit 
crew  tossed  up  their  ours,  and  turned  their  attention  to  the  shore. 
There  wo  saw  him  surrounded  by  the  villagers,  and  making  signs 
for  us  to  return. 

Now  Ugarng  had  on  his  neck  a  colored  kerchief  given  him  by 
somo  civilized  hand.  This  was  stated  by  the  angeko  to  bo  a  great 
encumbrance,  and  would  be  better  ofl'  than  on — in  fact,  would  be 


IIOAlt-FUOST.  171 

bottcM'  ill  his,  tlu!  wi^^urd'.s  possession,  than  iho  present  hoMer's. 
Accordingly,  with  grout  reluctance,  Ugarng  uiiwountl  it  from  his 
neck  and  cost  it  on  shore  to  his  master.  Minguinailo  swung  it 
proudly  in  the  air,  wound  it  around  his  waist,  and  ex|)andeil  it 
Ixitwccii  his  outfltretch(!<l  hands,  all  the  time  making  liis  way  to- 
ward the  village  like  a  conqueror,  followed  hy  his  people! 

After  tliis  wo  were  allowed  to  tiepart,  and  in  duo  time  I  got  ou 
board. 

^^  Nbvnnhcr  19///,  LSOO.  Last  niglit  the  ice  from  the  head  of  the 
bay  sot  down  upon  the  ship,  coin[)letely  closing  us  in.  We  are 
now  cut  oir,  for  the  present,  from  all  the  world.  Wo  can  not  ap- 
proach the  land,  nor  can  any  ono  from  the  .shore  approach  us. 
'riiis  will  continue  until. tho  ico  becomes  solid  enougli  to  make  a 
pathway  upon  it." 

Such  is  the  record  in  my  journal  under  that  date,  and  I  hero 
transcribe  it  to  note  the  day  when  wo  waro  first  "beset." 

The  temperature  at  this  time  was  +5°,  and  tho  weather  mod- 
erate and  clear.  In  the  (hiy  it  was  cloudy,  but  we  had  the  sun 
shining  upon  us  for  a  few  moments,  to  show  me  how  prcJttily  its 
soft  light  could  play  with  tho  crystal  white  of  tho  ship's  rigging. 
Again  and  again  did  I  look  upon  the  .scone.  It  was  truly  beauti- 
fid  I  I  loar-fi'ost  crystals — piles  upon  piles  of  crystals  standing  out 
boldy  to  windward,  six  inches  from  the  masts  and  rigging! 

Two  days  afterward  the  ice  had  hardened  sudiciently  to  form  a 
good  protection  to  the  shi[)  during  a  heavy  gale  that  came  on,  and 
which  probably  woidd  h!ii([|driven  us  from  our  anchorage  had  wc 
not  been  thus  guarded.  The  next  day,  however,  we  had  oj)r)i  wa- 
ter all  around  ».s,  tho  ice  having  been  broken  and  driven  out  to 
sea  by  a  change  of  wind  when  tho  gale  abated.  But  toward  even- 
ing it  again  came  in,  though  not  strong  enough  to  inclose  us. 
Thus  it  continued  setting  in  from  seaward  until,  on  the  23d,  W(> 
were  again  fast  bound  and  firmly  fixed  by  a  .solid  pack  for  the 
winter.  To  me  the  change  seemed  almost  magical.  At  noon  of 
Wednesday,  21st,  wo  had  been  bedded  in  ico  that  seemed  fast  for 
the  winter.  At  0  P.M.  of  th.at  day,  in  some  places  the  ice  began 
to  give  way.  During  tho  ensuing  night  all  of  it  had  left  the  har- 
bor and  bay. 

Morning  of  tho  next  day  saw  us  clear.  At  3  P.M.,  the  wind 
being  southerly,  some  pieces  of  ice  were  seen  floating  toward  us 
from  sea,  but  still  wo  were  free.  This  morning  of  the  23d,  how- 
over,  the  harbor  and  bay,  save  a  narrow  channel  of  water,  was  one 


172  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

complete  mass  of  ice.  Up  to  the  extent  of  the  bay,  running  N. 
N.W.  full  fifteen  miles  from  its  entrance,  all  was  quite  a  solid 
pack,  much  of  it  five  to  seven  feet  thick,  though  in  some  parts 
only  from  one  to  three  feet. 

The  temperature  of  the  sea  water  at  this  time  was  26°,  and  the 
air  18° ;  the  barometer  29.55,  and  wind  fresh  from  the  west. 

On  this  day,  finding  it  impossible  to  any  longer  use  the  boats, 
they'^ere  dismantled  for  the  season.  Nearly  nine  months  must 
elapse  before  they  can  be  used  again. 

Sunday,  the  25th  of  November,  we  had  a  li  :avy  gale  from  the 
eastward,  bringing  with  it  a  remarkably  warm  air  (the  thermom- 
eter 32°),  and  breaking  up  some  of  the  ice  in  such  a  manner  that 
iJ  one  time  we  expected  to  be  driven  out  to  sea  with  it.  We 
were,  however,  preserved  by  the  pack,  in  one  portion  remaining 
firm,  and  thus  giving  us  a  shelter,  though  not  more  than  a  hund- 
red yards  from  where  the  disruption  was  taking  place.  On  the 
1st  of  December  there  was  a  great  calm,  lasting  till  the  4th ;  but 
finally,  on  the  6th  of  December,  we  were  no  longer  under  any 
doubt  a%  to  being  well  secured  in  the  solid  ice  for  the  winter.  In 
all  directions,  the  harbor  and  bay  were  completely  frr-'on  over. 

On  November  24th  I  had  my  first  sight  of,  and  en  unter  with, 
a  polar  bear.  I  was  engaged  writing  in  my  cabin,  when  a  shout 
was  heard  on  deck,  "A  bear!  a  bear!"  and  immediately  relin- 
quishing my  pen  for  the  rifle,  I  went  up  and  joined  a  party  who 
started- in  chase. 

Sterry  and  the  Esquimaux  llgarng^Jad  alre'ady  gone  off  to  the 
hunt,  and  I  rapidl}?^  followed,  accompanied  by  "  Charky ,"  while 
all  the  natives  that  had  been  on  board,  and  several  of  the  ship's 
crew,  came  after  us.  The  bear  took  a  direction  near  the  island 
where  my  dogs  had  been  placed,  and  the  howling  they  made  was 
truly  terrible. 

As  Charley  and  I  neared  one  of  the  outer  islands,  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  ship,  bang  went  the  first  gun.  Then  a  second  re- 
port, and  soon  afterward  I  could  see  the  bear  retreating  across  a 
channel  to  another  island.  He  had  received  some  severe  wounds, 
for  blood  was  pouring  out  on  either  side  of  him,  crimsoning  his 
white  coat  and  the  ice  beneath.  The  channel  was  covered  over 
with  ice  that  appeared  too  frail  for  us  to  make  passage  upon. 
Down  through  this  ice  every  now  and  then  the  bear  would  plunge. 
But  soon  returning  to  the  same  hole,  he  slid  himself  out  of  i*.  upon 
the  ice  in  a  very  sprawling,  but  to  me  interesting  manner.     Once 


A  BEAK-IIUNT.  173 

out,  he  immediately  rose  upon  his  haunches,  knocked  his  torment- 
ors (the  Esquimaux  dogs)  to  the  right  and  left  with  his  fore  paws, 
and  thou  ran  on.  But  the  dogs  were  again  upon  his  track,  sur- 
rounding and  cutting  oft*  his  retreat  to  the  shore.  Thus  we  were 
soon  up  with  him,  though  keeping  at  a  respectful  distance  from 
the  wounded  prey.  Charley  desiring  to  try  his  hand  at  my  rifle, 
and  knowing  he  was  a  good  marksman,  I  allowed  him  to  do  so. 
He  fired  as  the  bear  was  again  on  his  haunches  engaged  with  the 
dogs.  The  shot  took  effect  in  his  breast,  and  the  brave  beast  fell 
kicking  and  tumbling ;  but,  after  a  moment's  struggle,  was  once 
more  on  his  feet  again,  flying  away.  Morgan,  of  our  ship,  now 
tried  his  double-barrel,  with  three  bullets  in  each,  but  both  barrels 
missed  fir':'.  Another  shot  was  theil  fired,  and  this  time  the  bear 
tumbled  over,  as  we  all  thought,  dead.  A  cheer  from  us  follow- 
ed; but  hardly  had  our  voices  died  away,  when  the  poor  bea.'^t 
was  again  on  his  feet  struggling  to  get  oft",  white  men,  Esquimaux, 
and  dogs  all  after  him.  Once  more  a  heavy  charge — this  time 
from  Morgan's  gun — went  into  him,  striking  his  face  and  eyes, 
and  down  went  Bruin  "  dead  again."  One  cheer  was  given,  then 
another  commenced,  when,  lo !  as  if  the  noise  had  revived  him, 
the  brute,  seemingly  with  as  many  lives  as  a  cat  is  said  to  have, 
went  off  again,  running  feebly,. but  still  with  some  remaining 
vigor.  Spears  were  now  thrown  at  him  by  the  natives,  but  these 
rebounded  from  his  tough  hide,  proving  as  harmless  to  him  as 
tooth-picks. 

Once  more  he  was  down.  Then  raising  his  head,  and  looking 
round  upon  his  foes,  which  numbered  a  full  score  without  includ- 
ing the  dogs,  he  seemed  as  if  preparing^  for  the  last  fight  and 
death-spring.  It  was  a  dangerous  moment,  and  so  all  felt.  But 
now  was  the  time  for  me  to  tiy  my  hand.  Hitherto  I  had  not 
fired.  This,  then,  was  the  moment  to  do  so.  I  stepped  out,  aad 
placed  the  hair-trigger  as  it  should  be,  and  leveled  my  gun. 

"  Shoot  at  his  head  I  give  it  him  in  the  skull !"  was  the  cry 
from  those  around ;  but  I  watched  my  opportunity,  and,  when  he 
gave  a  certain  downward  tl:vow  of  his  head,  fired,  tapping  the 
jugular  vein.  It  was  enough.  One  convulsive  movement,  m 
the  blood  oozed  out  from  the  keen  cut  made  by  my  rifle  ball,  and 
the  life  of  the  polar  bear  was  ended. 

The  next  task  was  to  get  the  carcass  on  board,  and  at  first  we 
intended  to  drag  it  there.  A  line  of  snflicicat  length  was  upon 
the  ground,  ready  for  placing  round  the  bear's  neck ;  but  this  was 


174 


AllCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


finally  abandoned,  as  bis  weigbt  (near  that  of  an  ox)  would  break 
tbrou^b  the  treacberous  ice  around  tbe  island  wbere  we  were.    It 


UEAB-UCNT — "TAri'lNU  THE  JLtiULAK." 

was  tbcn  decided  tbat  tbc  Esquimaux  sbould  skin  tbe  animal  on 
tbe  spot,  quarter  it,  and  thus  carry  it  piecemeal  to  tlic  sbip.  Ac- 
cordingly, w^e  left  tbem  to  tbe  task,  and  bad  not  long  been  back 
to  our  cabins  wbon  tbe  prize  arrived,  tbe  carcass  still  smoking 
hot,  tbougb  tbc  skin  was  already  frozen  stiff. 

I  sbould  mention  tbat,  as  soon  as  tbe  bear  was  discovered, 
Ebicrbing  hastened  after  it  with  bis  dogs,  wbicb  were  regularly 
trained  to  keep  bears  in  check  until  rifles  and  spears  sbould  ar- 
rive. Tbc  dogs  wbicb  I  bad  brought  from  Greenland  never  bad 
been  "  educated"  for  bear  fights,  therefore  they  seemed  to  act  upon 
the  principle  tbat  "  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view"  by 
getting  upon  tbe  most  distant  and  highest  part  of  tbe  islanc"  n 
which  the  bear  was  killed. 

As  regards  tbe  use  made  of  our  prize,  I  have  only  to  say  tbat 
we  divided  it  with  tbe  Esquimaux,  and  bad  a  capital  dinner  of  a 
portion  of  our  share.    I  liked  it  better  than  tbe  best  of  beefsteaks. 

A  day  or  two  after  this  bear-bun'o  I  paid  another  visit  to  North 
Star  village,  accompanied  by  Ebicrbing,  who  took  me  direct  to 
bis  tupic.  After  ;.assing  on  all-fours  through  the  low  snow-pas- 
sage which  be  bad  mp.de,  leading  to  tbc  interior,  I  found  myself 


ESQUIMAUX  STONE  LAMP  AND  FIRE.  175 

facing  Tookoolito,  seated  near  a  lamp,  and  herself  covered  with 
skins,  she  having  been  taken  sick  on  the  last  occasion  of  vis- 
iting our  ship.  Mittens,  boots,  stockings,  and  articles  of  clothing, 
all  in  a  wet  state,  were  on  the  "dry  net"  that  always  hangs  over 
the  lamp,  but  on  this  occasion  the  lamp  wa!=^  not  performing  its 
usual  heat-giving  functions.  Owing  to  "the  backwardness  of  the 
cold  season  in  i'rcezing  up  the  bay,  the  condition  of  the  natives 
from  want  of  blubber  and  food  was  in  an  alarming  state.  Many 
of  them  could  have  no  friendly  lamp  to  give  light  and  heat. 

The  Esquimaux  lamp  is  the  "  all  in  all"  to  these  people.  By  it 
their  igloo  is  lighted  and  kept  warm ;  by  it  they  melt  ice  or  snow 
for  their  drink ;  and  by  it  they  dry  their  clothing,  hiittcns,  boots, 
stockings,  etc.  Without  tlac  lamj),  Esquimaux  could  not  live — 
not  so  much  because  of  its  warmth  or  use  for  cooking,  but  be- 
cause it  enables  them  to  dr}'-  their  skin  clothing,  melt  ice  for  drink, 
and  gives  them  light  during  the  long  arctic  night  of  winter. 


KIM)I>.|.IN    AN1>    IK-KlI-MKIl,  • 

the  StoDO  Luini)  uud  Firu  of  the  I^quiiimiix. 

When  T  called  upon  Tookoolito  the  lamp  was  without  oil,  and 
could  not  give  either  sufficient  light,  heat,  or  drying  power,  hence 
the  melancholy  aspect  of  her  otherwise  happy  abode.  Ebierbing, 
however,  intended  very  soon  to  make  a  sealing  excursion,  and  ob- 
tain blubber  at  any  risk. 

When  oblig3d,  Esquimaux  do  not  hesitate  in  undergoing  the 
greatest  privations  to  get  food  for  their  liimilies.  They  will  watch 
over  a  seal-hole  for  one  hour  or  fifty,  if  need  be,  in  the  coldest 
weather,  waiting  for  the  seal  to  come  up  and  breathe.  Kndlago 
in  this  manner  caught  the  first  seeds  of  the  complaint  which  car- 
ried him  off.  llis  family  were  starving;  and  after  bearing  the 
pain  of  seeing  them  suffer  for  a  few  days,  he  could  endure  it  no 


176  ARCTIC  RESEAKCII  EXPEDITION. 

loijger.  He  went  out  in  some  of  the  worst  and  coldest  weather 
known  here,  and  exposed  himself  for  nearly  two  days  and  nights 
continuously,  patiently  watching  for  a  seal,  which  he  eventually 
captured.  Ebierbing  now  intended  to  do  the  same  thing  rather 
than  allow  his  home  to  be  wretched  much  longer. 

I  need  hardly  say  that  every  thing  in  my  power  was  dune  for 
ToolMoUto,  as  also  for  poor  Nukcrtou,  who  was  very  sick. 

From  Tookoolito's  I  walked  a  little  way  on,  and  found  two  Es- 
quimaux, "C/mrfcy  and  "  J/iwer,"  making  an  igloo,  or  snow-house. 
In  a  short  time  more  it  was  finished,  and  I  was  quite  surprised  at 
its  beauty.  With  the  exception  of  a  single  stain  upon  its  spotless 
snow  at  the  apex  or  centre  of  the  dome,  it  was  one  of  the  most 
chaste  pieces  of  architecture  I  ever  saw.  The  exceptional  stain 
was,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  sometliing  emanating  from  civilization. 
It  was  the  juice  of  tobacco  !  I  seized  the  long  snow-knife  from 
the  hands  of  one  of  the  Esquimaux,  and  .scraped  away  that  which 
.so  marred  the  beauty  of  the  whole,  while  the  inmates  looked  on, 
and  then  applauded  me  when  it  was  done. 


KEMAltKABLE  ECHO.  177 


CHAPTER  X. 

Kemarkiiblo  Echo. — Visit  of  "  Sampson." — Innuit  Mode  of  Washing  the  Face. — 
"Job's  Comforters." — "Bridge  of  Sighs." — Mothers  nursing  tlieir  Children. — 
Serviceable  Hoods. — Tails  of  Innuit  Dresses. — Cold  in  Winter  endurable.— Ex- 
traordinary mild  Weather. — Igloos  in  Ruins. — Kelp  used  for  Food. — Christmas 
and  New  Year's  Day. — Sick  Nukertou. — Inattention  to  the  Infirm  and  Dying. — 
Cruel  Abandonment. — Innuit  Superstitions. — Author's  lonely  Watch. — Death  of 
Nukertou. — The  female  Angeko. — Kooperarchu's  Death. — Reflections. — Innuit 
Idea  of  a  Future  State. 

The  month  of  December  came  in,  as  I  have  previously  said, 
with  a  great  calm  of  four  clays,  and  though  the  ice  was  then  much 
broken  up,  making  a  transit  to  the  shore  difficult,  yet  I  contrived 
to  frequently  land  for  exercise,  and  to  see  more  of  Innuit  life. 

One  day,  while  walking  near  a  channel  between  two  islands,  I 
heard  a  very  remarkable  echo,  of  so  striking  a  character  that  an 
■Innuit  boy  and  three  dogs,  near  at  hand,  could  hear  my  voice 
only  through  its  reflected  sound.  The  tide  was  out,  leaving  a 
rock  bluff  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  channel,  whence  the  sound 
was  reverberated.  After  giving  utterance  to  my  voice,  in  one 
second  of  time  the  echo  came  back  to  me,  thus  making  the  dis- 
tance across  550  feet,  as  sound  travels  1100  feet  per  second. 

On  December  8th,  at  noon,  the  thermometer  was  at  zero,  and 
on  the  9th,  15°  below  zero,  or  47°  below  the  freezing  point  Yet, 
strangely  to  me,  the  cold  was  not  felt  so  much  as  I  should  have 
supposed.  The  ice  was  solid  around  us,  and  our  good  ship  quite 
laid  up  in  winter  quarters.  Now  and  then  we  could  hear  some 
heavy  and  startling  cracks,  as  if  disruption  was  about  to  take 
place ;  but  nothing  of  any  note  occurred  to  disturb  or  to  vary  the 
usual  monotonous  life  on  board.  Visits  from  the  Esquimaux 
were  made  daily,  and  often  we  had  several  sleeping  on  the  cabin 
floor  and  on  sea-chests  in  impromptu  beds  made  of  sails,  thick 
wearing  apparel,  etc.,  and  a  curious  picture  it  was  thus  to  see 
them.  Frequently,  accompanied  by  some  of  these  visitors,  I  went 
to  their  village  and  to  the  islands  around  us,  always  being  received 
by  the  natives  in  the  most  friendly  manner. 

Once  we  had  a  stranger  arrive  who  had  formerly  lived  near 

M 


178 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


"King's  Cape,"  at  a  place  called  by  Esquimaux  Se-ko-se-Ia)'.*  This 
man's  name  was  Koo-choo-ar-choo,  but  known  by  us  as  "  Sampson," 


TDR  OEOBOE  IIENBT  IN  WINTER  QDABTERS. 


from  his  great  size  and  strength.  He  was  large  and  muscular, 
five  feet  six  inches  high,  and  weighing  over  200  lbs.  lie  was 
famous,  too,  as  a  great  hunter,  and  had  even  captured  whales  h>j 
himself,  with  only  the  aid  of  a  hoy  !  When  he  visited  us,  his  pretty 
little  daughter  Pnhe-ne-yer,  of  about  ten  years  old,  accompanied 
him,  and  I  was  much  amused  with  the  nimble  way  in  which  she 
undid  and  then  rcbraided  her  hair.  The  use  of  a  comb  she  did 
not  know  until  I  gave  her  one  and  showed  her.  As  for  the  fa- 
ther, I  found  him  very  intelligent,  and,  through  Tookoolito,  who 
acted  as  my  interpreter,  he  gave  mc  much  geographical  informa- 
tion. 
Another  of  our  visitors  was  Puto,  the  mother  of  a  white  child. 


•  From  various  sketches  di-awn  for  me  by  Esquimaux,  I  concluded  Se-ko-se-lnr 
to  be  a  jjlace  on  tiic  nortli  side  of  Hudson's  Strait,  near  a  large  bay  as  yet  undiscov- 
ered by  wVite  men.  Tliis  bay  is  somewhere  between  the  longitudes  72°  and  75^ 
west,  making  far  up,  dtic  north,  and  abounding  in  seals,  walrus,  white  whales,  and 
the  Mi/sticeti,  or  Greenland  whales. 


PUTO  AND  THE  WHITE  CHILD.  179 

This  woman  bad  once  been  considered  handsome,  and  even  now 
showed  some  signs  of  her  former  beauty.  She  was  about  35  years 
old,  and,  thougii  she  had  a  hard  time  of  it  alone,  supporting  her- 
self and  child,  yet  she  was  generally  cheerful,  smart,  kind,  and 
industrious.  On  one  of  my  visits  to  Tookoolito's  igloo,  Puto 
with  her  child  was  there,  and  I  then  witnessed  the  operation — very 
rarely  performed — of  washing  a  child's  face.  This  was  done  by 
licking  it  all  over,  much  as  a  dog  would  do  the  hand  that  had 
just  contained  a  fresh  beefsteak.  She  did  this  twice  while  in  my 
presence,  and  the  true  color  of  the  child's  face  was  then  more 
clearly  seen. 

Owing  to  some  cause  or  other  which  I  could  only  surmise,  Puto 
suffered  more  from  various  privations  than  the  other  women. 
She  was  often  a  week  with  hardly  any  thing  to  cat,  and,  in  con- 
sequence, her  poor  child  was  nearly  starved.  •  On  the  occasion  I 
now  refer  to,  after  I  had  left  the  igloo  and  wandered  about  to  other 
dwellings,  I  came  across  Charley  and  Ebierbing,  just  ra'rived  with 
a  sledge-load  of  frozen  krang,  whale-meat,  for  the  dogs.  Puto  at 
the  moment  also  came  to  the  spot,  and  immediately  asked  for 
some.  They  gave  her  about  twenty -five  pounds  of  it ;  and  this 
she  slung  to  her  back,  along  with  a  pack  of  equal  weight  already 
there,  besides  the  child  1 

Ye  mothers  of  America!  what  say  you  to  taking  an  inftxnt,  be- 
sides an  additional  pack  of  fifty  pounds  on  your  back,  and  start- 
ing off  on  a  tramp  of  several  miles — such  was  the  distance  to 
Puto's  home — with  the  thermometer  40°  to  45°  below  the  freez- 
ing point? 

This,  however,  reminds  mc  that  at  the  same  time  I  was  obliged 
to  be  very  careful,  and  especially  of  my  nose.  An  instance  had 
already  occurred — a  few  days  previous — of  one  of  the  ship's  crew 
getting  his  nose  frostbitten,  without  discovering  the  serious  fact 
until  pointed  out  to  him,  and  thus  just  saving  it  in  time.  Ac- 
cordingly, I  had  to  protect  mine  by  as  much  covering  as  I  could ; 
but,  as  I  then  said,  deliver  me  from  any  more  of  "  Job's  comfort- 
ers"— boils — especially  if  there  be  any  signs  of  them  approaching 
that  bridge  below  my  eyes,  which,  from  late  experience,  might  in- 
deed be  termed  "  the  bridge  of  sighs !" 

On  the  visit  just  mentioned,  I  met  a  sister  of  Ebierbing,  and 
also  jynother  woman,  just  taking  up  their  quarters  in  the  same 
place.  In  fact,  it  was  a  matter  of  mutual  accommodation,  foi  the 
purpose  of  creating  more  warmth  within,  and  economizing  light 


180  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITIOIT. 

and  fuel.  They  arrived,  bringing  their  worldly  goods,  while  I 
was  talking  to  Tookoolito,  and  at  once  the  new-comers  proceeded 
to  place  their  lamp  on  the  opposite  side  to  that  of  the  mistress  of 
the  igloo.  They  first  filled  it  abundantly  with  seal-blubber,  then 
putting  in  large  wicks  of  moss,  soon  brought  forth  a  long,  even 
train  of  light  and  a  glorious  heat.  The  new-comers,  it  appeared, 
had  managed  to  procure  some  of  the  precious  seal-blubber,  so 
much  needed. 

At  Ugarng's  igloo,  which  I  visited  the  same  day,  I  there  en- 
countered several  women  and  children  congregated  together,  I 
was  welcomed  at  once  by  Nikujar,  ''Polly,"  the  first  or  family 
wife  of.Ugarng,  and  by  Punnie,  his  third  wife — No.  2  wife,  Kun- 
niu,  being  absent,  though  her  lamp  was  bright  and  in  full  trim. 
Little  Kookooyer  (the  child  of  Blind  George)  was  also  there,  and, 
with  her  fat  cheekaf  laughing  eyes,  and  pleasant  voice,  greeted  me 
as  I  entered. 

"  Polly,"  in  speaking  to  me,  could  only  raise  her  voice  to  a 
whisper,  for  she  was  suffering  from  a  pulmonic  disease,  and  al- 
most unable  to  utter  a  word  without  pain. 

While  waiting  at  this  igloo,  in  came  Puto  and  her  child — Puto 
finding  it  necessary  to  rearrange  the  pack  at  her  back  prior  to  a 
final  start  for  the  upper  village,  Iler  infant  was  given  to  little 
Kbokooyer  to  hold ;  but,  as  it  was  rather  noisy,  I  thought  to 
pacify  the  babe  by  taking  it  in  my  own  hands,  and,  in  doing  so, 
tried  to  show  them  how  civilized  mothers  carry  and  nurse  t^;cir 
children.  This,  however,  only  produced  a  hearty  laugh ;  and  I 
was  made  to  understand  that,  in  all  the  matters  relating  to  the 
tending  of  infants — even  in  the  very  minutest,  as  there  and  then 
shown  to  me — the  Innuit  custom  was  the  best. 

I  could  here  mention  one  or  two  facts,  but  it  will  be  unneces- 
sary more  than  to  say  that  mothers  here  at  home  will  comprehend 
all  my  meaning  when  I  tell  them  that  an  Innuit  infant  is  carried 
naked  in  the  mother's  hood,  yet  in  close  contact  with  the  parent's 
skin.  Thus  every  childish  necessity  is  generally  anticipated  in 
good  time  by  the  ever-sensitive,  watchful  mother. 

On  the  18th  of  December  we  heard  of  an  arrival  at  the  upper 
village  from  Annawa,  the  Esquimaux  who,  with  his  family,  it  may 
be  remembered,  went  away  on  the  30th  of  the  previous  August. 
This  Esquimaux  was  a  brother  of  some  of  the  most  enterp^-ising 
Innuits  in  the  North.  He  lived  almost  the  life  of  a  hermit — that 
is,  he  resided  with  his  small  family  in  a  distant  part,  away  from 


THE  "BllOAUWAY  BELLE."  181 

other  people,  his  abode  being  at  an  island  called  Oo-pung-ne-iviny, 
in  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound,  on  the  north  side  of  Fro- 
bisher's  Bay.  It  was  his  son  who  had  now  arrived,  with  u  view 
of  doing  a  little  trade,  if  he  could. 

Many  of  the  Esquimaux  came  to  me,  not  only  as  ordinary  vis- 
itors and  to  see  what  they  could  get  in  way  of  presents,  but  also 
to  do  some  trading.  At  the  same  time,  several  of  the  younger 
ones  gladly  received  instruction  from  myself  in  the  civilized 
tongue.  As  regards  trading  with  them,  it  was  generally  done  for 
articles  of  use,  reindeer-skin  dresses  especially  being  necessary  for 
me  for  winter,  and  no  one  could  be  more  expert  or  more  tasteful 
than  the  Innuit  women  in  making  them. 

On  one  of  my  visits  to  the  upper  village,  a  daughter-in-law  of 
Artarkparu  was  just  finishing  off  her  winter  coat  with  a  long  tail, 
the  universal  fashion  there  among  the  ladies.  It  was  prettily  or- 
namented (?)  with  federal  coin  of  the  United  States — old  copper 
cents — eight  in  number,  arranged  in  rows,  and  fixed  as  pendents 
to  the  tail. 

On  another  occasion,  when  Kokerzhun  came  on  board  with  her 
husband,  she  had  on  a  beautiful  luJdoo  (reindeer)  fur  dress,  having 
a  skirt  standing  out  hoop  fashion !  The  variety  of  colors  of  the 
tuktoo  was  most  prettily  arranged,  and  so  well  did  she  appear, 
that  it  was  said  by  some  of  us  she  would  pass  at  home  for  a 
"Broadway  belle." 

So  excellent  were  the  dresses  made  for  me  by  these  Innuit  wom- 
en, that  I  did  not  hesitate  paying  tolerably  "liberal"  for  them,  par- 
ticularly as  they  were  rather  scarce. »  I  obtained  a  native  jacket 
for  a  knife,  two  small  skins  for  another  knife  and  some  powder, 
and  a  good  deerskin  for  more  powder,  buckshot,  and  caps.  Many 
of  the  natives  had  guns,  obtained  from  the  whalers  of  Northum- 
berland Inlet  either  by  barter  or  as  returns  for  services  rendered. 
I  coukl  not,  at  that  time,  get  all  I  desired  in  the  way  of  Innuit  ap- 
parel, though  it  was  useless  to  attempt  traveling  in  any  other  cos- 
tume, as  nothing  but  that  could  withstand  the  cold ;  but  from  my 
first  arrival  I  had  been  obtaining  several  articles,  and  thus  I  was 
now  toleiably  well  supplied. 

About  this  time,  and  toward  the  end  of  December,  I  was  much 
astonished  at  the  changes  in  the  temperature.  On  the  19th  the 
thermometer,  on  this  gloriously  fair  and  calm  morning,  was  mi- 
nus 20°,  barometer  30.175.  Cold  indeed ;  by  thermometer,  52°  be- 
low the  freezing  point.    Yet  so  calm  was  the  weather,  that  to  my 


182  ARCTIC  KESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

person  it  seemed  no  colder  than  at  the  commencement  of  the  sea- 
son, when  the  thermometer  indicated  82°  above  0.  But  let  a 
smart  breeze  spring  up  coming  from  the  N.W.,  then  how  like  hot 
iron  it  will  burn !  The  weather  was  such  that,  unless  wo  soon  had 
snow,  the  ice  would  freeze  thick  and  solid  throughout  the  regions. 
Snow  upon  the  ice  serves  to  keep  it  ivarm,  the  same  as  snow  on 
the  ground  in  the  Northern  States  of  America. 

In  my  journal  at  this  date  I  find  as  follows :  "  I  have  just  been 
out  walking  and  running,  exposing  myself,  my  face  and  hands,  to 
the  cold  air.  A  light  breeze  prevailing  from  N.W.  I  am  confi- 
dent there  is  something  yet  to  be  discovered  relative  to  air  and 
cold.  The  human  system  is  not  such  a  liar  as  three  excellent 
thermometers  I  have  would  make  it,  if  I  gave  full  credence  to 
their  story  tl  is  morning.  My  three  thermometers  say  20°  below 
zero,  and  yet  h\v  greater  exposure  now  than  at  other  times,  with  a 
higher  register  of  temperature,  leads  to  no  unpleasant  results.  I 
am  aware  moisture  in  the  air  makes  a  great  difference  as  affecting 
the  human  system;  but  a  fact  is  a /ad.  The  cold  air  from  the 
same  direction — equally  charged  with  aqueous  matter  at  different 
times — shows  a  difference  of  ten  to  twenty  degrees  in  the  ther- 
mometer; and  yet  the  air  at  the  lowest  temperature  affects  the 
human  system  less  than  the  highest. 

^^  December  20th,  5  30  A.M.,  thermometer  —5°,  barometer  ?'>. 
200.  Wind  very  lir/hl,  N.W.  Yet  there  must  be  a  storm  prevail  og 
not  far  from  us,  as  a  tremendous  roar  of  waters  and  cracking  of 
ice  cornes  from  the  direction  of  Davis's  Straits.  The  ice  around 
the  shore  of  this  harbor  is  tjonstantly  '  singing,'  indicating  that  a 
heavy  sea  is  now  affecting  us  even  here.  *  *  *  7  A.M.,  the 
wind  went  round  to  the  N.E.,  when  it  commenced  snowing;  ther- 
mometer 4°,  barometer  30.100.  At  10  ]*.M.  we  had  the  thermom- 
eter 14°  above  zero,  barometer  30.050,  wind  N.E.,  blowing  a  gale, 
the  ice  breaking  up  in  Field  Bay,  and  also  in  our  harbor. 

^'■Friday,  December  2\st.  Thermometer  21°  above  zero,  barom- 
eter 30.012.  Wind  light  from  east.  The  bay  is  nearly  clear  of 
ice.  What  little  there  is  fastens  up  our  harbor.  The  weather  is 
too  warm  for  the  igloos ;  they  have  commenced  dripping.  If  the 
like  continues,  down  will  come  snow-houses. 

^^ Saturday,  Decertiber  22fl?.  The  thermometer  is  actually  +32^°; 
barometer  30.100.  Wind  N.E.  During  the  night  considerable 
rain  fell.  The  natives  are  in  sad  plight.  There  has  been  not  ex- 
actly a  conflagration  in  the  Esquimaux  village,  but  disruption,  and 


IGLOOS  IN  RUINS.  188 

a  melting  clown.  Nearly  every  igloo  is  in  ruins,  owing  to  the  un- 
expected storm  of  rain.  Some  Lave  fallen,  others  about  to.  The 
men  Innuits  are  busily  engaged  in  erecting  outer  walls,  filling  in 
snow  between  the  old  and  the  new.  I  visited  nearly  every  hab- 
itation, and  found  the  natives  exclaiming  '^'c-o/i^-e-too  /  pc-ong-e- 
tool' — bad  I  bad  I     ^ luirij-toon^ — very  hungry. 

"At  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito's  there  was  great  distress.  Their 
igloo  was  nearly  destroyed.  In  the  night  the  whole  of  the  dome 
had  fallen  in,  covering  their  bed,  furs,  dresses,  etc.,  in  wet  snow. 
Ebierbing  was  busy  in  making  a  canvas  tent  over  the  ruins,  while 
Tookoolito  cleared  out  the  snow  from  beneath.  IIo  was  wet 
through,  and  had  not  a  dry  skin  upon  his  back,  having  been  out 
all  the  morning  trying  to  save  his  igloo  from  the  almost  univer- 
sal ruins  around  him. 

"  Dec.  22d,  liaining  hard  throughout  this  day,  with  occasional 
sleet  and  snow.  Tookoolito  visited  the  ship,  and  upon  her  return 
I  let  her  have  an  umbrella,  which,  though  she  well  knew  the  use 
of  it,  was  really  a  novelty  to  others  of  her  people,  who  consid- 
ered it  a  '  loalking  IcnC 

"  The  extraordinary  mildness  of  the  .season  has  caused  a  most 
sad  state  of  things  among  the  natives.  They  can  not  obtain  their 
accustomed  food  by  .scaling,  as  the  ice  and  cold  weather  alone 
give  them  the  opportunity,  llcncc  in  many  of  the  iglc^s  I  have 
.seen  great  distress,  and  in  some  I  noticed  kelp  (.seaweed)  used  for 
food, 

"  Whenever  I  visited  the  natives,  such  small  quantities  of  food 
as  I  could  spare  from  my  own  slender  but  necessary  stock  were 
taken  to  them,  and  on  one  occasion  I  gave  Tookoolito  a  handful 
of  pressed  '  cracklings'  which  I  had  brought  with  me  from  Cincin- 
nati. They  were  given  me  by  a  friend  there  for  dog-food,  and  I 
can  now  record  the  fact  that  Cincinnati  pressed  'cracklings'  made 
as  rich  a  soup  as  ever  I  had  eaten." 

The  preceding  extracts  from  my  diary  about  the  weather,  and 
its  effects  upon  the  condition  of  things  around  me,  will  show  that 
almost  the  very  existence  of  these  c'  ildren  of  the  icy  North  de- 
pends upon  the  .seasons  boing  uniform  with  the  time  of  year.  The 
high  temperature  we  had  experienced,  however,  did  not  long  con- 
tinue. A  few  days  afterward,  on  the  30th  of  December,  the  ther- 
mometer was  down  to  zero ;  and  on  the  5th  of  January  it  was 
sixty  degrees  below  freezing  point!  The  bay  and  harbor  had 
again  been  coated  over  with  solid  ice,  and  parties  of  Innuits  were 


184  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

out  in  all  directions  seal-hunting,  but  with  such  slight  success  that 
several  of  them  departed  for  other  quarters,  where  they  hoped 
seals  would  be  more  abundant.  Among  these  were  Ugarng  and 
his  family.  They  started  for  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  but,  before 
leaving,  a  few  cakes  of  hard  bread  were  given  them,  that  the  party 
might  have  something  to  fall  back  upon  in  case  of  success  not  fol 
lowing  immediately. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  Ugarng  returned  very  sick. 
He  left  in  the  morning,  and  arrived  at  the  ship  about  4  P.M., 
thus  making  a  rapid  journey  on  his  sledge  of  about  forty  miles. 
Two  days  afterward,  having  received  extra  aid  and  medicine,  he 
once  more  started,  and,  as  will  be  presently  related,  when  I  made 
an  excursion  to  where  he  had  gone,  I  found  him  busily  ergaged 
sealing. 

Among  the  other  incidents  to  be  mentioned  as  occurring  about 
this  period  of  my  narrative,  I  must  not  forget  to  say  that  Christ- 
mas and  New  Year's  Day  were  celebrated  by  us  in  our  winter 
quarters  with  all  the  honors  it  was  in  our  power  to  show.  A 
few  of  the  natives  were  on  board  to  dine  on  Christmas  Day,  and  I 
took  the  opportunity  to  give  Tookoolito  a  Bible  that  had  been 
placed  in  my  hands  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Union  of  Cin- 
cinnati, and  which  I  thought  could  not  be  devoted  to  a  better  pur- 
pose.   I  inscribed  upon  it  the  following : 

^'Presented  to  TooJcooIiio,  Tuesday,  December  25/^,1860." 

Her  first  act  was  to  read  the  title,  "  Holy  Bible,"  then  to  try  and 
read  some  of  its  pages,  which  she  still  longs  to  understand. 

The  new  year  of  1861  was  welcomed  by  me  at  its  very  earliest 
commencement,  having  been  np  throughout  the  night.  The  pre- 
vious evening  I  had  been  paying  visits  on  shore  among  the  na- 
tives, and  at  1  A.M.  of  the  first  day  of  January  I  was  engaged 
in  writing,  in  the  midst  of  the  sleeping  forms  of  Esquimaux  made 
warm  and  happy  for  the  night  in  our  main  cabin.  Pauhoyer 
(Blind  George)  and  his  little  girl,  Kookooyer,  were  there,  well 
wrapped  up,  and  Kimmiloo,  in  my  sleeping  bag,  was  asleep  on  a 
sea-chest.  Koojesse  and  his  wife  Tunukderlien  were  in  my  berth, 
and  two  other  Esquimaux  were  on  the  cabin  floor.  Ebierbing 
and  Tookoolito  were  on  shore  in  their  own  igloo,  and  it  was  to 
them  that,  at  half  past  5  A.M.,  I  made  my  first  New  Year's 
"call."  Various  other  "calls"  were  made,  all  with  a  view  to 
some  beneficial  result,  and,  if  possible^  to  do  the  poor  people  good 


SICK  NUK-ER-TOU.  185 

in  tlieir  then  wretched  state,  and  throughout  the  day  sundry  man- 
ifestations among  our  own  men  were  given,  akin  to  those  adopted 
at  home. 

On  this  day,  January  1st,  1861,  we  had  the  thermometer  —  1°, 
barometer  29.20,  and  the  weather  calm,  with  light  clouds.  We 
did  not,  therefore,  feel  the  cold  as  might  have  been  expected,  and 
thus  our  New  Year's  Day  passed  off  most  agreeably. 

I  have  now  to  relate  an  occurrence  that  was  as  startling  to  me 
in  its  terrible  yet  solemn  character  as  any  thing  I  had  ever  before 
known  or  heard  of. 

I  have  mentioned  that  another  Esquimaux  woman,  called  Nuk- 
ertou,  was  found  to  be  very  sick,  and  I  therefore  determined  to 
again  call  upon  her,  taking  some  medicine,  and  a  little  quince 
jelly  that  had  been  given  me  by  loved  ones  at  home. 

I  left  the  ship,  and,  after  crossing  some  very  broken  and  dan- 
gerous ice,  which  formed  a  sort  of  unstable  and  disjointed  cause- 
way, arrived  at  the  village  during  the  morning.  I  asked  Tookoo- 
lito  to  accompany  me,  which  she  cheerfully  did,  and  together  we 
went  to  the  tupic  of  Nukertou.  She  had  been  left  alone  in  her 
sickness,  all  uncared  for,  aa  was  customary,  I  regret  to  say,  with 
the  Esquimaux  when  any  of  them  were  helplessly  ill. 

The  poor  woman  was  very  glad  to  see  me,  but  she  was  so  weak 
and  suffered  so  much  that  she  could  hardly  move.  I  gave  her 
medicine,  which  soon  relieved  her,  and  for  this  I  received  many 
thanks ;  but  I  thought  her  end  near.  I  could  see  by  her  wasted 
form  and  utter  prostration  that  she  had  not  long  to  live.  Per- 
haps, had  she  received  such  early  attention  from  her  own  people 
as  is  shown  among  families  in  civilized  life,  she  might  have  sur- 
vived ;  but  from  no  one  did  she  get  this,  and  only  by  chance  did 
her  illness  reach  my  ears. 

I  have  before  mentioned  her  kindly  nature,  ever  ready  to  do 
any  thing  she  could  for  all  of  us  on  board  without  looking  for  fee 
or  reward,  and,  so  long  as  she  had  strength,  she  was  to  be  seen  at 
some  friendly  task ;  but  her  absence  was  not  particularly  noticed, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  Innuits  are  of  a  character  so  thoroughly  in- 
dependent that  they  come  and  go  just  as  they  please. 

On  the  present  occasion,  Nukertou  was  living  iruan  igloo  occu- 
pied by  Shimerarchu  (Johnny  Bull),  with  his  wife  Kokerzhun,  and  - 
her  little  sister  Kimmiloo.    The  latter  came  in  while  I  was  speak- 
ing to  Nukertou,  and  when  Tookoolito  left,  the  girl  showed  much 
attention  to  her. 


186  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

The  sick  woman  lay  on  skins  of  the  reindeer  placed  on  the 
snow  platform  opp.'^site  the  entrance  of  the  igloo,  and,  though  in 
the  usual  condition  ot  Esquimaux  when  in  bed,  said  she  felt  quite 
warm.  The  medicine,  and  perhaps  the  kindly  words,  had  done 
her  good.  But  some  days  afterward  I  found  her  snow  bed  had 
become  unfit  for  sleeping  upon.  Some  unusually  high  tempera- 
ture of  the  weather  for  that  time  of  the  year,  added  to  the  heat — 
though  not  much — of  her  own  body,  had  melted  the  snow  couch, 
and  she  had  sunk  in  an  awkward  position.  Accordingly,  one 
day  (December  21),  assisted  by  her  friends,  I  made  her  a  fresh 
bed  by  procuring  blocks  of  drifted  snow,  crushing  them  finely  as 
flftkes,  and  making  the  same  into  a  soft,  smooth  basis,  upon  which 
was  placed  the  usual  layer  of  the  small  dry  shrub,  and  on  top 
of  that  some  reindeer  skins.  This,  then,  was  the  new  bed  for 
poor  sick  Nukertou,  and  for  a  time  she  seemed  more  comforta- 
ble. But  |ieither  the  attentions  of  Tookoolito  or  myself  availed. 
Gradually  she  declined;  and,  though  we  administered  to  her  such 
food  as  wa.-  necessary  (all  the  Innuit  people,  at  this  period,  being 
near  a  state  of  starvation,  owing  to  a  very  bad  season  for  seal- 
hunting  again),  her  death  rapidly  approached. 

On  December  30th,  I  find  the  following  in  my  journal  concern- 
ing her : 

"  Invited  Tookoolito  to  go  with  me  and  make  a  call  upon  sick 
Nukertou.  We  found  her  as  yesterday.  I  had  a  talk  with  her, 
Tookoolito  acting  as  intrepreter.  What  a  scene  for  my  memory  I 
There  sat  Kokerzhun  before  her  fire-lamp,  drinking  in  every 
word,  as  Tookoolito  interpreted  to  sick  Nukertou  what  I  had  re- 
quested to  be  said.  Tookoolito  went  on  talking  !:o  Nukertou  all 
that  I  had  taught  her  of  God,  Christ,  heaven,  the  good,  etc.,  and 
there  she  stood,  weeping  over  the  form  of  her  whom  we  all  love 
as  a  sister-^noble  Nuliertou. 

"After  this  interesting  interview  Tookoolito  and  Kokerzhun 
proceeded  to  the  vessel,  while  I  went  to  the  former's  igloo,  and 
obtained  my  spirits  of  camphor  for  the  purpose  of  laving  the  tem- 
ples of  Nukertou.  Here  I  remained,  chafing  the  hot,  tattooed 
brow  of  this  afflicted  but  resigned  Esquimaux — here  I  remained 
alone  with  this  dear  one,  whose  spirit  may  soon  be  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God  and  angels.  Oh  that  she  may  go  to  that  happy 
land  where  all  is  rejoicing,  and  the  song  is  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest !" 

The  day  but  one  afterward  I  paid  ny  usual  visit  to  Nukertou, 


A  LIVING  TOMB.  187 

and  found  that  Shimerarchu  was  building  a  new  igloo  for  her. 
Upon  inquiry,  I  found  that  it  was  to  be  her  living  tomb  !  I  was 
thunder-struck.  A  living  tomb !  Yes.  And  so,  Tookoolito  said, 
according  to  custom,  it  must  be ;  and  so  it  was. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1861,  Nukertou  was  removed  to  the 
new  igloo.  She  was  carried  thither  upon  reindeer  skins  by  four 
women,  who  took  her  in  through  an  opening  left  for  the  purpose 
at  the  hade,  not  by  the  usual  entrance.  Snow  blocks  were  then 
procured,  and  the  aperture  well  closed,  while  a  woman  stood  by 
and  gave  instruction  what  to  do.  An  ordinary  entrance  was  then 
made,  and,  as  soon  as  completed,  I  went  into  the  igloo. 

Nukertou  was  calm,  resigned,  and  even  thankful  for  the  change. 
Of  course  she  knew  that  it  was  to  be  her  tomb ;  but  she  was  a 
child  of  her  people,  and  as  she  had  now  become  a  helpless  burden 
to  them,  with  only  a  few  days  more  to  live,  it  seemed  to  me  that 
she  took  it  as  a  matter  of  right  and  justice,  and  no  one  could  ob- 
ject. Therefore  she  was  thankful  that  her  last  moments  were 
being  so  carefully  seen  to, 

A  new  igloo  of  stainless  snow,  a  well  -  made  bed  of  the  same 
material,  where  she  could  breathe  her  last,  would  make  her  few 
remaining  hours  happy.  True,  she  would  be  alone  —  for  such 
was  the  custom  of  her  people — but  she  did  not  fear  it.  She  was 
content,  and  appeared  cheerfully  resigned. 

It  may  be  asked  by  some.  Why  did  not  I  try  to  prevent  such  an 
outrage  upon  the  feelings  of  any  Christian  person?  If  so,  I  reply 
that  I  did  try  to  get  her  on  board  the  ship,  but  I  soon  found  that 
in  no  one  thing  are  the  native  tribes  more  sensitive  than  interfer- 
ence with  their  superstitious  rites  and  ceremonies,  especially  in 
relation  to  death.  Hence  it  might  have  been  most  unwise,  even 
if  possible,  to  have  taken  Nukertou  on  board.  Therefore  I  did 
my  best  for  her  in  the  igloo,  where  she  would  have  been  literally 
entombed  alive*  but  for  my  request  to  attend  upon  her. 

On  the  8th  of  January  she  died ;  and  as  the  incidents  con- 
nected with  her  death  were  very  striking,  I  will  transcribe  them 
from  my  journal  as  entered  down  at  the  time : 

^^  Monday,  January  7th.  This  evening,  fearing  that  Nukertou 
was  wholly  neglected,  I  went  on  shore  about  five  o'clock.  Of 
course  it  was  then  quite  dark,  with  the  thermometer  67°  below 
the  freezing  point,  and  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  have  a  lantern 
in  hand,  besides  some  of  the  natives  to  guide  me  across  the  ice. 

*  Hereafter  I  shall  have  occasion  to  relate  an  actual  occurrence  of  this  kind. 


188  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Oa  arriving  at  the  igloo,  Ebierbing  and  the  others  remained  out- 
side, while  I,  pushing  aside  the  little  snow  door,  drew  myself 
through  the  low,  narrow-tunnel  entrance,  which  was  just  of  size 
sufficient  to  admit  my  squeezed-)ip  body,  and  neared  the  inner 
part.  A  strange  and  solemn  stillness  pervaded  the  place,  only  in- 
terrupted by  the  perceptible,  but  iiae'^ular  and  spasmodic  breath- 
ings of  the  dying  creature  withiu.  j.  raised  myself  up,  looked  to- 
ward her,  and  gently  uttered  her  name.  She  answered  not.  A 
second  call  from  me  was  alike  unresponded  to.  I  therefore  went 
to  her  and  felt  her  pulse.  It  still  beat,  but  told  me  too  surely 
that  she  was  dying.  Immediately  I  cried  out  for  Ebierbing  and 
Koodloo  (the  latter  a  male  cousin  of  Nukertou)  to  come  in.  They 
did  so  reluctantly.  I  informed  them  that  Nukertou  was  dying. 
The  announcement  seemed  to  be  overwhelming  in  sadness. 
Watching  intently  each  breathing  of  this  friend  of  all,  for  a  while 
we  were  silent.  At  length  it  occurred  to  me  that  Tookoolito 
would  wish  to  be  informed  of  Nukertou's  condition.  I  therefore 
indicated  the  same  to  her  husband,  who  immediately  ran  with  all 
haste  to  send  her  here.  A  few  moments  found  Tookoolito  in  the 
presence  of  the  dying.  No  call  from  her  familiar  voice  could 
arouse  a  recognition  from  the  one  who  was  now  about  to  depart. 
Alas  for  us  I  Nukertou  was  surely  on  her  way  to  the  land  of 
spirits. 

"  Tookoolito,  remaining  here  as  long  as  was  required,  and  find- 
ing the  change  going  on  with  Nukertou  was  by  slow  degrees,  re- 
turned to  her  igloo,  leaving  me  and  Koodloo  with  Nukertou.  In 
one  hour  I  left  Koodloo  alone  in  charge,  and  stepped  over  to 
Ebierbing's  for  a  few  moments.  Upon  my  return  to  Nukertou's, 
what  was  my  astonishment  when  I  found  the  igloo  sealed  up — 
blocks  of  snow  placed  firmly  in  and  around  the  entrance-way.  It 
seemed  to  tell  me  that  she  was  dead.  I  had  but  a  short  time  be- 
fore learned  it  to  be  the  usual  custom  among  the  Innuits,  when 
one  of  their  number  is  dying,  for  all  to  retire  from  the  igloo  or 
tupic,  whichever  it  might  be,  and  not  return  to  it.  But  I  thought, 
'After  all,  perhaps  not  dead  I'  I  threw  back  block  after  block  of 
unspotted  snow,  till  at  length  I  made  my  way  into  the  main  igloo. 
•  ^'■Nukertou  loas  not  dead!  She  breathed,  and  was  much  about 
the  same  as  when  I  last  saw  her.  I  determined  then  to  remain, 
doing  what  I  could  to  smooth  the  pillow  of  the  dying.  The  lamp 
was  nearly  out ;  the  cold  was  intense,  the  thermometer  outside 
being  51°  below  the  freezing  point;  and,  though  I  had  on  the 


,,ry^-  »,'- 


DEATH  OF  NUK-ER-TOU.  189 

Esquimaux  dress,  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could  keep  ray  blood 
from  congealing.  There  I  was,  the  lone,  silent  watcher  of  a  dy- 
ing Esquimaux,  encircled  within  snow  walls  that  were  soon  to  be- 
come her  tomb.  Thank  God  I  was  there  I  It  did  my  soul  good 
to  hold  communion  with  high  heaven  at  such  a  time.  It  did 
me  good  to  be  where  angels,  just  from  heaven,  came  to  greet  and 
bear  away  a  soul  precious  to  God.  What  a  scene !  Indeed,  to 
me  it  was  one  that  has  become  ineflfaceably  fixed  on  memory's 
tablet. 

' '  4bout  t  welve,  midnight,  I  heard  footsteps  approaching.  Soon 
the  sound  as  if  the  entrance  was  being  closed  up  again.  I  thought, 
Can  it  be  that  I  am  to  be  imprisoned  here,  doomed  to  have  this 
my  living  tomb  ?  I  listened  a  while.  I  found  it  true  that  I  was 
being  shut  up  as  though  dead.  Of  course  those  who  were  doing 
this  knew  not  I  was  there.  At  length  I  cried  out '  Turbar  I  tur- 
bar !'  Stop !  stop !  At  this,  all  was  again  silent  as  the  grave  for  a 
moment.  I  then  said, '  Ki-ete' — come  in ;  and  in  came  the  two 
who  were  performing  the  last  sad  act  of  respect  to  the  dead.  But 
what  shall  I  say  of  their  last  act  to  the  living  f  The  two  proved  to 
be  Koodloo  ond  a  woman  called  Koo-ou-le-arng,  or  Suzht,  as  we 
named  her.  Here  they  remained  half  an  hour  with  me,  then  de- 
parted. I  was  again  alone  with  the  dying  Esquimaux.  Nearer 
and  nearer  drew  her  end.  Coldness  was  creeping  over  her.  In- 
deed, I  found  the  cold  taking  hold  of  me.  The  native  lamp, 
which  serves  for  light  and  fire,  had  ceased  from  want  of  blubber 
or  oil.  There  was  only  my  lantern-lamp  to  give  light,  and  the 
oil  of  this  was  kept  fluid  by  the  caloric  of  my  encircling  hands. 

"  During  the  day  my  fur  stockings  had  become  damp  from  per- 
spiration, therefore  my  feet  were  nearly  frozen.  Every  few  min- 
utes I  was  necessitated  to  jump  and  thrash  myself — to  do  any 
thing  I  could  to  keep  my  limbs  from  frostbites. 

"How  intently  I  watched  each  change  in  Nukertou!  One, 
two,  three,  four,  five,  six,  seven  did  I  slowly  count  in  the  inter- 
vals of  her  breathing,  and  these  increasing  to  even  double  that 
number.  At  last  I  could  count  nineteen  between  her  inspirations, 
but  her  respirations  were  short  and  prolonged — irregular.  At 
length  Nukertou  ceased  to  live.  I  exclaimed, '  She's  dead !  Ee- 
ceive  back  her  spirit,  I  pray  thee,  O  God,  for  she  is  Thine.' 

'•'  I  placed  the  lamp  before  her  face.  She  breathed  not.  And 
there  I  sat  on  the  platform  of  snow  by  her  side,  her  disheveled 
locks  matted  and  tangled  with  reindeer  hair,  falling  in  wild  disor- 


190  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

der  over  her  tattooed  brow.  I  called  to  her,  *  Nukertou  I  Nuker- 
tou  I'  but  no  response  came  back.  The  silence  of  the  dead  alone 
remainfed. 


TUB  UYINa  KttC^UlMAUlI — MUK-EB-TUD. 


"  I  now  left  for  another  part  of  the  island,  to  call  her  cousin 
Koodloo.  lie  was  asleep  in  an  igloo,  and,  on  awaking  him,  he  ac- 
companied me  back.  But  I  could  find  no  one  willing  to  lend  a 
helping  hand ;  no  one  would  touch  the  dead.  I  therefore  determ- 
ined to  lay  the  corpse  out  myself.  Koodloo  would  do  nothing 
but  hold  the  lamp,  and  I  had  to  perform  the  whole.  I  put  her  on 
a  snow  bed,  crossed  her  hands  upon  her  breast,  closed  her  lips, 
aud  placed  lumps  of  the  pure  snows  of  heaven  upon  her  eyelids, 
with  a  snow  pillow  under  her  head.  This  done,  I  then  left  for 
the  ship,  having  first  taken  the  precaution  to  seal  up  the  igloo  so 
as  to  prevent  the  dogs  from  eating  up  her  remains. 

"  It  was  three  in  the  morning  when  Nukertou  died,  and  as  I 
left  her,  so  did  her  body  remain,  unvisited,  uncared-for,  within 
that  igloo  tomb  I" 

My  journal  continues :  "It  might  as  well  be  here  stated  what 
occurred  in  Nukertou's  igloo  on  the  arrival  of  my  valuable  and 
esteemed  friend  Tookoolito,  when  her  husband  informed  her  of 
the  dying  condition  of  Nukertou.  To  my  mind  the  incident  goes 
to  show  how  strongly  are  fixed  among  any  people  customs,  how- 
ever absurd  they  may  appear  to  others. 


ESQUIMAUX  SUPERSTITIONS.  191 

"  Tookoolito,  on  arriving  last  evening,  proceeded  to  examine 
Nukertou's  condition — feeling  her  pulse,  listening  to  her  breath- 
ings, watching  her  every  motion.  Too  true,  indeed,  did  she  find 
what  I  had  said.  Tookoolito  gently  spoke  words  that  astonished 
me,  because  they  ctthie  from  one  who  is  not  only  conversant  with 
ray  vernacular,  but  with  the  belief  and  practices  of  civilization. 
She  saic'  Nukertou  was  dying,  and  that  we  must  all  retire  at  once ; 
that  if  we  delayed  till  Nukertou's  death,  the  skin  dresses  we  had 
on  w  juld  never  do  to  be  put  on  again. 

"  This  was  spoken  with  an  earnestness  that  wanted  no  guarantee 
o{  hex  firm  belief  va.  what  she  said.  Undei"  the  circumstances,  I 
had  no  hesitancy  as  to  my  course  then  and  there.  I  knew  she  had 
confidence  in  me ;  that  she  knew  I  always  treated  her  people  as 
well  as  I  could  my  own ;  that  she  knew  I  never  endeavored  to 
cast  a  slur  or  make  light  of  any  of  the  customs  of  her  country. 
Therefore  I  said, '  Tookoolito,  listen  to  wong-a  (me)  a  moment. 
On  Christmas  day  I  gave  you  a  good  book  —  the  Bible.  That 
hook  is  the  Word  of  Ood.  It  tells  you  and  me — every  body — to 
visit  the  sick,  the  afflicted,  the  widow,  the  helpless,  the  poor.' 

"  Kindly  I  proceeded,  to  the  best  of  my  poor  ability,  to  show 
her  wherein  it  was  wrong  thus  to  leave  the  sick — the  dying.  Her 
astonishment  at  what  I  said  seemed  as  great  to  her  as  was  mine 
at  her  recorded  remark.  During  this  important  conversation,  al- 
lusion was  made  as  to  working  on  tuktoo  furs  during  the  season 
of  catching  w£^lrus.  It  is  a  fact  that,  when  the  Innuits  begin  to 
catch  walrus,  no  work  is  done  on  reindeer  skins ;  therefore  all 
winter  clothing  is  made  up  before  any  attempts  are  made  to  get 
walrus.    The  reasons  lohy  will  be  stated  some  time  hereafter. 

"  In  my  arguments  with  Tookoolito  I  told  her  it  was  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  she  and  her  people  believed  many  unreasonable 
things,  when  there  had  been  no  one  to  teach  them  better — no  one 
to  tell  them  of  the  Bible.  I  told  her  that  some  people  of  America 
and  in  England  believed  a  great  many  ridiculous  things,  but  that 
did  not  make  them  true;  told  her  that  I  only  wished  to  do  her 
good ;  that  whenever  I  could  kindly  show  where  they — her  peo- 
ple— were  doing  wrong,  I  should  do  so ;  that  if  she  or  her  people 
could  prove  to  me  her  or  their  ways  were  all  the  best,  then  I 
would  be  one  to  do  as  Innuits  did.  After  this  interview  under 
the  snow-roof  of  the  dying,  I  heard  Tookoolito,  in"  her  igloo,  earn- 
estly engaged  in  telling  her  wing-a  all  that  I  had  told  her.  They 
both  seemed  thankful  for  what  I  had  said." 


192  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

In  connection  with  the  preceding  account  of  Nukertou's  death, 
and  the  Innuit  customs  referring  to  it,  I  may  here  mention  an- 
other occurrence  somewhat  similar,  which  took  place  about  the 
same  time. 

There  was  a  sick  native,  whom  I  visited  on  two  or  three  occa- 
sions, named  Kooperarchu,  who  suffered  greatly  from  ulcers  on  t}ie 
neck.  His  case  was  desperate,  and  no  remedies  we  applied  avail- 
ed him.  As  his  end  approached,  the  angeko  took  possession  of 
him  altogether,  and  when  I  once  tried  to  see  the  patient,  all  the 
natives  assured  me  it  would  be  useless  while  the  angeko  was 
there.  But  I  determined  to  make  the  trial,  and,  after  some  per- 
suasion, and  as  a  great  favor,  was  admitted  by  the  dying  man's 
family. 

This  time  the  angeko  was  a  woman,  and  when  I  entered,  her 
position  was  at  the  farther  side  of  the  igloo,  with  her  back  to  me, 
but  seated,  cross-legged,  under  a  pile  of  skins.  At  her  side  was 
the  poor  man,  Kooperarchu,  kneeling,  and  in  a  state  of  complete 
nudity,  though  snow  and  ice  were  above,  beneath,  and  around  him. 

At  first  I  was  startled  at  this ;  but,  remembering  what  great 
wonders  have  been  and  can  be  accomplished  by  a  sick  person's 
complete  faith  in  his  physician,  I  made  no  attempt  at  interference 
except  motioning  for  one  of  the  brothers  to  place  some  covering 
over  the  patient's  shoulders. 

The  angeko  was  constantly  engaged  in  addressing  some  un- 
known spirit,  doing  it  in  as  varied  a  way  as  could  be  well  con- 
ceived. The  whole  family  participated  in  the  scene,  placing 
themselves  in  position,  responding,  ejaculating,  and  doing  what- 
ever the  angeko  required ;  and  all  this  with  a  solemnity  that  was 
particularly  striking,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  the  exercises  re- 
minded me,  in  some  respects,  of  what  is  known  as  a  Methodist 
"love-feast." 

When  the  exercises  were  through,  the  angeko,  turning  round, 
appeared  to  notice  me,  and  expressed  surprise ;  but  I  soon  molli- 
fied her  rising  anger  by  a  slight  present,  which  made  her  and  the 
family  very  friendly. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  eflforts  made  by  this  angeko,  they 
availed  nothing  in  arresting  the  rapid  strides  disease  was  making 
on  this  poor  man's  life.  On  the  following  day,  myself  being  sick 
on  board,  I  requested  Tookoolito  to  see  the  patient,  and  take  to 
him  certain  medicines  I  gave  her.  She  did  so  then,  and  likewise 
on  the  next  day,  remaining  half  an  hour  with  him.    Soon  after 


THE  INNUIT  HEAVEN.  193 

she  had  returned  to  her  igloo,  "  Jack,"  a  brother  of  Kooperarchu, 
called  and  said  the  sick  man  was  dying.  Immediately  Tookooli- 
to  went  back,  and,  feeling  his  pulse,  found  it  almost  gone.  Koo- 
perarchu felt  himself  dying,  and  said  to  her,  as,  in  our  language, 
she  explained  it  to  me,  "  I  going  to  die — I  can  not  help  it — I  wish 
to  die.  My  mother  and  father  in  kood-le-par-mi-ung  (the  Innuit 
heaven) — I  go  to  meet  them — I  must  go — I  can  not  stop  I"  She 
asked  him,  "Go  now?"  He  replied,  "Yes."  This  was  the  last 
word  he  spoke.    Thus  Kooperarchu  died. 

Kooperarchu  was  buried  soon  after  his  death.  Ilis  friends  and 
relatives  wrapped  him  in  two  tuktoo  skins  and  carried  him  away. 
The  frozen  corpse  was  suspended  across  the  shoulders  of  his  broth- 
er by  a  strap  placed  under  the  arms  and  across  the  breast,  as  one 
would  carry  a  gun.  Tookoolito  headed  the  funeral  train,  and 
a  married  sister  of  the  deceased,  with  a  younger  brother,  and  a 
couple  of  dogs,  besides  some  of  the  natives,  followed  him  to  the 
grave.  This  grave  was  but  a  little  distance  from  the  village,  and 
merely  consisted  of  a  recess  made  in  the  snow,  with  the  same  ma- 
terial piled  over  the  dead  bod3\ 

******* 

Three  days  after  Kooperarchu's  decease  I  was  able  to  visit  his 
family  igloo.  There  I  found  his  relations  all  sitting  in  a  close 
group  6n  the  snow  platform.  They  were  bemoaning  the  loss  ol 
a  brother  and  excellent  seal-hunter.  For  three  days  from  the  death 
his  family  had  thus  to  mourn,  according  to  Innuit  custom.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  they  expected  their  lost  brother  would  be  in 
"kood-le-par-mi-ung,"  there  forever  to  enjoy  its  pleasures,  feast- 
ing on  reindeer  meat,  and  wandering  from  star  to  star. 

N 


194  ARCTIC  KESEARCH  EXI'EDITION. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A  Janiinry  Sledgo  Excursion  to  Cornelius  Grinncll  Bay.— Rough  Traveling  overland. 
—High  Cliffs. — Descent  of  the  Sledgo  on  to  the  frozen  Sea.— Camp  on  the  Ice.— 
First  Night  in  an  Igloo.— Proceed  on  the  Journey.— Dangerous  Traveling.— 
Second  Night  on  the  Ico.— Detention.— Cold.— An  icy  Beard.— Hair-cutting.— 
A  Storm. — Disruption  of  the  Ico. — Fearful  I'eril. — Cessation  of  the  Gale. — Con- 
tinue the  Journey. — Ico  on  the  Move  in  every  Direction. — Deep  Snow. — Treach- 
erous Footing. — Laborious  Work — Arrive  at  Rogers's  Island. — Great  Thirst. — In- 
nuit  Welcome. — A  Cup  of  Water. — Hospitality. — Light,  Warmth,  and  Food.— 
Night's  Rest. — Disappearance  of  the  Ice. — Remarkable  Preservation. — Frostbites. 
—  A  ser^'iceablo  pocket  Mirror. — Bad  Weather.  — Whaleskin  eaten  as  Food. — 
Attempted  Return  to  the  Ship.— Author's  weak  State.— Innuit  Seal-hunting. — 
Starving  Condition  of  the  Party. 

Having  a  great  desire  to  try  and  do  something  in  the  way  of 
exploring,  and  particularly  to  accustom  myself  to  actual  life  among 
the  Innuits,  I  at  length  determined  to  venture  on  an  excursion  by 
sledge  and  dogs  to  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  whither  Ugarng  had 
already  gone.  Accordingly,  after  due  preparation,  myself  and 
party  were  ready  on  the  10th  of  January,  1861,  and  away  we 
went. 

The  following  account  of  the  first  day's  journey  is  from  my 
journal,  as  written  every  evening  in  an  igloo — snow  hut: 

"  Thursday,  January  10th,  1861,  Thermometer  30°  below  zero, 
or  62°  below  freezing  point  I  My  company  consists  of  self,  Ebier- 
bing,  Tookoolito,  and  Koodloo,  the  cousin  of  the  deceased  Nukcr- 
tou.  By  4  A.M.  I  was  up,  and,  with  lantern  in  hand,  went  and 
called  Ebierbing  and  his  wife.  They  arose,  and  at  once  proceed- 
ed to  gather  up  whatever  things  they  would  require  during  our 
stay.  I  then  returned  to  the  ship  and  packed  up  my  own  mate- 
rial. The  outfit  for  this  trip  consisted,  in  provisions,  of  If  lb.  pre- 
served boiled  mutton  in  cans,  3  lbs.  raw  salt  pork,  15  cakes  (-t  lbs.) 
'  sea-bread,  J  lb.  pepper,  2  lbs.  ground  burnt  ooffee,  1  quart  molas- 
ses, 1  quart  corn-meal,  and  3  lbs.  Cincinnati  cracklings  for  soup. 
Then,  for  bedding,  1  double  wool  blanket,  1  sleeping-bag,  1  cloak 
and  1  shawl  for  bed-covering.  For  clothing,  besides  my  native 
dress  upon  me,  I  took  1  extra  under-shirt,  1  woolen  shirt,  2  pairs 
extra  stockings,  1  pair  extra  pants,  2  towels,  and  2  pairs  mittens. 


COMMENCE  TO  LIVE  WITH  INNUIT3.  I95 

My  books  were  Bowditch's  Navigator,  Burrit's  Geography  and 
Atlas  of  the  Ileavens,  Gillespie's  Land  Surveying,  Nautical  Al- 
manac for  1861,  a  Bible,  and '  Daily  J'ood.'  My  instruments  were, 
1  telescope,  1  self-registering  thermometer,  1  pocket  sextant,  2  mag- 
netic compasses,  and  1  marine  glass.  I  had  also  a  rifle  and  am- 
munition, oil  for  lamp,  and  a  hand-saw,  besides  paper,  ink,  pens, 
memorandum  and  journal  book. 

"At  10  A.M.  wo  were  in  readiness — Ebierbing  with  the  loaded 
sledge  and  team  of  dogs  (five  of  his  and  five  of  my  Greenland- 
ers) — alongside  the  Oeorge  Henry.  Tookoolito  was  gayly  dressed 
in  new  tuktoo  skirt,  tuktoo  pants,  jacket,  etc.  Bidding  adieu  to 
our  friends  on  board,  wo  then  started,  Tookoolito  leading  the  way 
—  tracking  for  the  dogs  —  for  about  one  mile  to  the  shore,  in 
a  northeasterly  direction.  Thenco  our  course  was  tliat  which 
Ugarng  had  evidently  taken  the  day  before.  Over  hill  and  moun- 
tain, through  vale  and  valley,  away  we  went.*  Sometimes,  when 
on  a  descent,  our  speed  was  rapid.  Now  and  then  wc  all  got  on 
the  sledge  for  a  ride.  My  spirits  were  high,  for  this  was  my  first 
sledge  -  traveling  trip.  Ebierbing  managed  the  dogs  admirably. 
Indeed,  I  should  consider  him  a  capital  dog  -  driver.  I  think  I 
never  perspired  so  profusely  as  I  have  this  day.  Some  of  the 
events  during  our  journey  have  been  most  amusing.  Once  we 
were  descending  a  steep  incline,  all  of  the  company  holding  on 
to  the  sledge,  so  as  to  prevent  its  too  great  speed  downward, 
when,  one  of  my  feet  breaking  through  the  treacherous  snow- 
crust,  headlong  I  went,  and,  like  a  hoop,  trundled  to  the  bottom 
of  the  hill.  Tookoolito  hastened  to  my  relief,  and,  seeing  a  frost- 
bite on  my  face,  she  instantly  applied  her  warm  hand,  the  Innuit 
way,  till  all  was  right  again.  Another  steep  incline  caused  the 
sledge  to  descend  so  rapidly  that  at  length  it  went  over  three  or 
four  of  the  dogs,  who  were  unable  to  keep  ahead  of  it,  though 
running  at  great  speed. 

"  By  3  P.M.  we  ncared  the  frozen  waters  of  the  ocean,  after 
passing  over  some  very  abrupt  and  rocky  ground.  On  the  mar- 
gin of  the  sea  the  cliffs  were  almost  perpendicular,  and  it  was  nec- 
essary to  hioa'  the  sledge  down  to  the  ice  below.  Accordingly, 
the  c'ogs  were  detached,  and  while  Tookoolito,  whip  in  hand,  held 
on  by  their  traces,  which  were  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  long, 

*  For  route  of  this  sledge-trip,  see  track  on  Clinrt.  From  Rescue  Harbor,  lat. 
C2°  52'  N.,  long.  04°  44'  W.,  over  land  to  Tuk-e-lik-e-ta  Bay  ;  thenco  on  the  sea 
ice  to  Rogers's  Island,  lat.  G3°  12'  N.,  long.  04°  32'  W. 

■    ♦ 


196  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION, 

we  lowered  the  sledge.  The  tide,  however,  was  out,  and  it  caused 
some  difficulty  in  getting  on  to  the  main  ice.  At  length  all  was 
safely  accomplished,  and  once  more  we  started  on  our  way,  Too- 
koolito  again  leading.  Then  we  proceeded  for  about  five  miles, 
when  we  came  to  an  igloo  out  on  the  ice,  which  had  evidently 
been  erected  and  occupied  the  night  before  by  IJgarng  and  his 
party.  Here  we  should  have  stopped ;  but,  as  the  igloo  was  too 
small  for  us,  we  went  on  another  mile,  and  then,  finding  good  ma- 
terial for  building  a  snow  house,  we  encamped  at  5  P.M." 

Ebicrbing  and  Koodloo  at  once  commenced  sawing  out  snow- 
blocks,  while  1  carried  them  to  a  suitable  spot  for  erecting  the 
igloo,  which  took  us  one  hour  to  make.  And  a  right  good  one  it 
was,  as  I  soon  found.  The  door  sealed  up,  and  the  cheerful  lamp 
in  full  blaze,  with  a  hot  supper  preparing,  made  me  feel  remark- 
ably comfortable,  though  in  a  house  of  snow,  built  so  speedily 
upon  the  frozen  surface  of  the  treacherous  ocean.  I  will  here 
give  this  matter  more  in  detail. 

Soon  as  the  igloo  was  completed,  Tookoolito  entered  and  com- 
menced placing  the  stone  lamp  in  its  proper  position.  It  was 
then  trimmed,  and  soon  a  kettle  of  snow  was  over  it  making 
water  for  coffee  and  soup.  SL.e  then  proceeded  to  place  several 
pieces  of  board  we  had  brought  with  us  on  the  snow  platform 
where  our  beds  were  to  be  made.  Upon  these  pieces  was  spread 
the  canvas  containing  some  cf  that  small  dry  aiirub  I  have  al- 
ready alluded  to.  Over  this  v/ent  the  tuktoo  skins,  and  thus  our 
sleeping  accommodations  were;  complete. 

I  should  mention  that  every  article  on  the  sledge  is  passed  in 
through  an  opening  at  the  back  of  the  igloo,  for  the  purpose  of 
convenience.  When  all  is  thu;3  within,  then  this  opening  is  closed, 
and  a  proper  entrance  made  en  the  side  opposite  the  beds.  The 
dogs  are  left  outside. 

The  drying  of  whatever  has  been  worn  during  the  day,  or 
whatever  has  become  wet  witli  perspiration,  falls  to  the  lot  of  the 
"  igloo  wife."  She  places  the:  things  on  the  in-ne-ihi  (a  net  over 
the  fire-lamp),  and  through  tlie  night  attends  to  the  turning  of 
them,  as  occasion  requires.  Her  other  duties  consist  in  the  re- 
pairing of  such  clothing  as  may  be  needed.  Nothing  is  allowed 
to  go  one  day  without  repair.  Every  thing,  where  care  is  re- 
quired, oven  to  pipes  and  tobacco,  is  placed  in  the  igloo  wife's 
hands — in  this  case,  Tookoo'.ito's.  These  matters  I  particularly 
noticed  on  the  occnsion  of  my  first  night  spent  in  an  arctic  igloo. 


FIRST  NIGHT  IN  AN  IGLOO.  197 

Presently  our  evening  meal  was  ready.  It  consisted  of  Cin- 
cinnati crackling  soup,  a  small  piece  of  raw  salt  pork  for  each  of 
us,  half  a  biscuit,  and  coffee.  Tookoolito  proved  herself  an  ex- 
cellent cook  ;  and  I  soon  felt  convinced  that  no  party  should  think 
of  traveling  in  these  regions  without  an  Innuit  man  and  his  wife, 
for  the  latter,  above  every  thing,  is  the  "  all  in  all,"  or  at  least  the 
"  better  half." 

After  supper,  myself  and  the  two  male  Esquimaux  had  each  a 
pipe,  and  then  turned  in,  my  position  being  between  the  hot- 
blooded  Innuits  Ebierbing  and  Koodloo. 

I  slept  as  well  as  I  would  ever  wish,  and  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, about  nine  o'clock,  after  breakfast  and  repacking  the  sledge, 
we  again  started.  Our  proper  course  was  due  north,  but,  owing 
to  hummocky  ice,  we  could  not  follow  it.  In  truth,  sometimes 
we  were  obliged  to  make  a  retrograde  movement  to  get  out  of 
"a  fix"  that  we  were  occasionally  in  among  icebergs  and  hum- 
mocks. Owing  to  this,  wc  made  but  five  miles  direct  toward  our 
destination  during  the  day. 

It  had  been  expected  that  we  could  reach  Cornelius  Grinnell 
Bay  in  one  day  from  the  vessel,  but  too  many  obstacles  existed 
to  allow  it,  and  thus  a  second  night  came  upon  us  while  still 
upon  the  frozen  sea.  A  storm  was  also  gathering,  and  its  dark- 
ness, with  the  howling  wind,  which  had  changed  from  oiF  the  land 
to  right  upon  it,  was  foreboding.  We  were  likewise  much  wea- 
ried with  the  day's  labors,  and  it  was  some  time  after  wc  stopped 
before  a  suitable  place  was  found  and  our  second  igloo  erected. 
At  length,  though  long  after  dark,  we  were  comfortably  located, 
enjoying  a  hot  supper  beneath  the  cnowy  dome,  the  foundation 
of  which  rested  on  the  frozen  bosom  of  the  mighty  deep.  But 
not  too  soon  were  we  under  shelter.  The  storm  had  burst  in  all 
its  fury,  and  we  could  hear  the  wind  roaring  outside  as  we  warm- 
ed ourselves  within. 

All  night  long  the  gale  continued,  and  the  next  morning — the 
third  of  our  journey — it  was  found  impossible  to  go  on.  It  was 
blowing  a  strong  gale,  and  continued  so  all  day,  with  snow  in  im- 
penetrable thickness.  We  were  therefore  obliged  to  keep  inside 
our  shelter,  wrapped  in  furs. 

While  thus  detained,  I  took  the  opportunity  to  have  my  hair 
cut  by  Tookoolito.  It  had  grown  to  a  great  length,  even  to  my 
shoulders,  and  I  now  found  it  very  inconvenient.  My  beard, 
whiskers,  and  mustache  were  also  shorn  nearly  close  to  my  face. 


198 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


In  musquito  time  they  were  serviceable,  but  now  they  had  become 
quite  an  evil,  owing  to  the  masses  of  ice  that  clung  to  them.  In- 
deed, on  the  previous  night  I  had  to  lose  a  portion  of  my  whis- 
kers. They  had  become  so  ice-locked  that  I  could  not  well  get 
ray  reindeer  jacket  off  over  my  head,  therefore  I  used  my  knife, 
and  cict  longer  attachments  to  them. 

I  may  here  mention  that,  after  this,  when  we  vacated  the  snow- 
house,  our  dogs  rushed  in  to  devour  whatever  they  could  find, 
digestible  or  not  digestible,  and  my  locks  were  a  portion  of  what 
they  seized.  In  went  my  discarded  hair  to  fill  up  their  empty 
stomachs !  A  few  days  later,  I  saw  the  very  same  hirsute  mate- 
rial, just  as  clipped  from  my  head,  lining  a  step  leading  to  another 
igloo,  having  passed  through  the  labyrinthian  way  from  a  dog's 
mouth  onward. 

About  4  P.M.  Ebierbing  ventured  outside  to  see  how  matters 
looked,  but  he  soon  returned  with  the  astounding  news  that  the 
ice  ivas  brealcing,  and  xoater  had  appeared  not  more  than  ten  rods 
south  of  us!    I  looked,  and,  to  my  dismay,  found  that  a  crack  or 


BTOKM-BOUND— KNCAMP.MENT  ON  THE  KLOE  IN   IIAVIS'U  hTUAlTB,  JANTABY   IItII   AND  12X0,  1881. 

openin-'-  extended  cast  and  west  to  the  land,  distant  about  three 
miles .    The  gale  had  evidently  set  the  sea  in  heavy  motion  some- 


STORM-BOUND.—PERILOUS  SITUATION  ON  THE  ICE.        199 

where,  and  its  convulsive  throbs  were  now  at  work  underneath 
the  ice  close  to  and  around  us.  It  still  blew  very  hard,  but  as  yet 
the  wind  was  easterly,  and  so  far  good,  because,  if  a  nearer  disrup- 
tion took  place,  we  should  be  forced  toward  the  land,  but  if  it 
changed  to  north  or  northwest,  away  to  sea  we  must  go  and  . 
perish  1 

Seriously  alarmed,  we  consulted  as  to  what  was  best  to  do— 
whether  at  once  to  hasten  shoreward,  or  remain  in  the  igloo  and 
stand  the  chance.  On  shore,  nothing  but  rugged  precipices  and 
steep  mountains  presented  themselves ;  on  the  ice,  we  were  in 
danger  of  our  foundation  giving  way — that  is,  of  being  broken  up, 
or  else  driven  to  sea.  At  length  we  decided  to  remain  while  the 
wind  lasted  in  its  present  quarter,  and,  to  guard  os  much  as  possi- 
ble from  any  sudden  movement  taking  us  unawares,  I  kept  with- 
in sight  my  delicately-poised  needle,  so  that  the  slightest  shifting 
of  the  ice  on  which  we  were  encamped  might  be  known. 

In  the  evening  the  gale  abated,  and  by  10  P.M.  it  was  calm, 
but  the  heavy  sea  kept  the  ice  creaking,  screaming,  and  thunder- 
ing^ as  it  actually  danced  to  and  fro !  It  was  to  me  a  new  but 
fearful  sight.  When  I  retired  to  bed  I  laid  down  with  strange 
thoughts  in  my  mind,  but  with  a  conviction  that  the  same  protect- 
ing hand  would  watcli  over  me  there  as  elsewhere. 

The  night  passed  away  without  alarm,  and  in  the  morning 
Koodloo  made  an  opening  with  a  snow-knife  through  the  dome 
of  the  igloo  for  peering  out  at  the  weather.  lie  reported  all  clear 
and  safe,  and,  after  a  hot  breakfast,  we  packed  and  started,  though 
under  great  difficulty  and  hazard. 

The  ice  had  given  way,  and  was  on  the  move  in  every  direc- 
tion. The  snow  was  also  very  deep — sometimes  above  our  knees 
— and  moreover  very  treacherous.  We  could  hardly  get  along ; 
and  the  poor  dogs,  which  had  been  near  starving  since  we  had 
left  the  ship  (Esquimaux  dogs  endure  starvation,  and  yet  work, 
amazingly),  had  to  be  assisted  by  us  in  pushing  and  hauling  the 
sledge,  while  constant  precaution  was  needed  against  falling 
through  some  snow-covered  ice-crack.  Every  now  and  then  we 
came  to  openings  made  by  the  gale  and  heaving  sea.  Some  of 
these  were  so  wide  that  our  sledge  could  hardly  bridge  them,  and 
a  detour  would  have  to  be  made  for  a  better  spot.  At  other  places 
we  had  to  overcome  obstructions  caused  by  high  rugged  ice  that 
had  been  thrown  up  when  masses  had  been  crushed  together  by 
the  tremendous  power  of  the  late  storm. 


200  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

To  guard  against  and  extricate  ourselves  from  these  dangers, 
yet  find  a  track  amid  the  hummocks  around,  each  of  us  by  turns 
took  the  lead,  and  in  this  manner  we  proceeded  on  our  way ;  but 
it  was  evident  we  had  hardly  strength  enough  to  persevere  in 
reaching  our  destination  that  night.  By  2  P.M.  we  were  so  ex- 
hausted thiit  I  deemed  it  best  to  make  a  halt,  and  use  a  little  more 
of  the  slender  stock  of  provisions  I  had  with  me,  and  which,  ow- 
ing to  our  being  so  much  longer  on  the  way  than  expected,  had 
become  very  low.  Each  of  us,  therefore,  had  a  slice  of  raw  salt 
pork  and  a  quarter  of  a  biscuit.  This,  however  trifling,  gave  re- 
newed strength,  and  again  we  pushed  forward,  hauling,  scram- 
bling, tumbling,  and  struggling  almost  for  our  lives. 

It  was  dark  ere  we  got  near  the  locality  where  our  next  en- 
campment was  to  be  made,  and  where,  in  fact,  we  intended  to  re- 
main a  while  for  the  purpose  of  hunting  and  sealing,  and  myself 
exploring. 

At  length  we  caught  sight  of  an  igloo  which  afterward  proved 
to  be  Ugarng's,  and,  as  soon  as  we  saw  it,  fresh  efforts  were  made 
to  get  nearer,  but  we  found  our  passage  more  and  more  obstruct- 
ed by  the  broken,  upturned  ice.  Often  the  sledge  was  carried  on- 
ward by  making  it  leap  over  these  impediments,  sometimes  from 
one  point  of  ice  to  another,  and  at  others  ddwn  and  up  among  the 
broken  pieces.  Finally  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shore  ice, 
which  we  found  all  safe  and  sound,  and  in  a  short  time  more  we 
were  alongside  of  Ugarng's  igloo,  encamped  on  the  southwest  side 
of  Rogers's  Island,  overlooking  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay  and  the 
mountains  surrounding  it. 

Immediately  I  ran  into  Ugarng's  igloo,  and  obtained  some  wa- 
ter to  drink,  for  I  must  mention  that  all  day  long  we  had  been 
famishing  on  account  of  thirst.  The  material  to  make  water  had 
been  abundant  around  us — beneath  our  feet,  here,  there,  and  ev- 
ery where — but  not  a  drop  could  be  obtained,  owing  to  our  fire- 
lamp  and  equipments  not  being  in  use.  Thus  it  was  most  thank- 
fully I  received  the  warm-hearted  welcome  given  me  by  Nikujar, 
family  wife  No.  1  of  Ugarng,  as  she  handed  a  cup  of  refreshing 
cold  water.  Then  I  remembered  how,  on  one  occasion  at  the  ship, 
this  same  woman,  with  her  infant,  came  and  asked  me  for  water, 
which  I  gladly  gave  to  her,  with  something  else.  Now  she  gave 
it  to  me. 

I  should  mention  that,  in  winter,  water  is  most  precious  to  the 
natives.    It  is  made  only  by  melting  snow  or  ice  over  the  ikku- 


STARTLING  SCENE.— GRATEFUL  TO  HEAVEN.     201 

mer  (fire-lamp),  whicli  is  an  expensive  heat  and  light  when  oil 
and  blubber  become  scarce;  and  in  this  case  our  materials  for 
fuel  were  all  expended. 

While  our  own  igloo  was  being  erected,  Ugarng  and  his  second 
wife  arrived  from  sealing,  and,  to  the  joy  of  all,  brought  with  him 
a  fine  seal.  He  generously  supplied  us  with  what  we  wanted,  and 
thus  an  excellent  supper  was  added  to  cheerful  light  and  genial 
warmth  from  the  now  well-fed  lamp. 

My  fourth  night  in  an  igloo,  on  this  journey,  was  spent  more 
comfortably  than  the  previous  two  had  been,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  I  rose  greatly  refreshed  and  strengthened.  As  I 
loQked  upon  the  expanse  over  which  wc  had  passed,  I  was  start- 
led to  find  the  ice  all  gone  out  to  sea.  This  was  confirmed  by  a 
view  shortly  afterward  obtained  from  the  top  of  a  mountain  be- 
hind our  igloos,  and  I  felt  truly  grateful  to  Heaven  for  having 
so  preserved  us. 

During  the  day  I  took  a  walk  on  shore,  and  the  two  Esqui- 
maux went  sealing.  They  returned  at  night  with  a  fine  prize, 
which  made  us  an  excellent  feast ;  and,  as  my  own  stock  of  pro- 
visions was  exhausted,  except  a  trifle  I  reserved  in  case  of  sick- 
ness, this  supply  was  most  timely. 

On  the  following  day,  January  15th,  Ebierbing  and  Koodloo 
departed,  with  the  sledge  and  dogs,  on  a  hunting  excursion,  and 
I  went  a\^ay  to  examine  the  locality  around.  During  my  walk 
over  the  hills  I  came  across  numerous  tracks  of  rabbits,  and  I 
also  saw  in  the  distance  several  prominent  headlands  that  were 
familiar  to  mc  from  noticing  them  when  we  first  arrived  here  in 
the  ship. 

While  rambling  about,  I  fortunately  preserved  myself  from  a 
severe  frostbite  in  the  face  by  taking  the  precaution  of  carrying 
a  small  pocket  mirror  which  belonged  to  Tookoolito.  I  had  asked 
the  loan  of  it,  knowing  how  necessary  it  was,  when  one  is  alone 
in  those  regions,  to  have  a  detector  of  frostbites;  and  I  found  the 
use  of  a  mirror  in  such  a  case  equivalent  to  the  companionship 
of  another  person. 

That  night  I  was  alone  with  Tookoolito  and  Punnie;  the  latter 
Ugarug's  third  wife,  she  having  come  to  our  igloo  to  keep  com- 
pany with  us  until  the  husbands  returned.  It  was  very  cold  — 
the  thermometer  down  to  57°  below  freezing  point.  Now  my 
usual  sleeping-place  was  between  Ebierbing  and  Koodloo;  but 
they  being  absent,  I  had  to  lay  on  the  general  bed,  wrapped  in 


202  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

my  furs  and  blankets.  Durii:g  the  early  part  of  the  night  my 
feet  were  almost  frozen.  I  tried  all  I  could  to  keep  them  warm, 
but  in  vain.    At  last  a  smooth  low  voice  reached  my  ear : 

"  Are  you  cold,  Mr.  Hall  ?" 

I  answered,  "  My  feet  are  almost  frozen.  I  can  not  get  them 
comfortable." 

Quick  as  thought,  Tookoolito,  who  was  distant  from  me  just 
the  space  occupied  by  little  Punnie  (that  is,  Punnie  slept  in  the 
middle),  got  down  i-j  the  foot  of  her  bed ;  thence  she  made  pas- 
sage for  her  hands  directly  across  to  my  feet,  seizing  them  and 
drawing  them  aslant  to  her  side.  My  modesty,  however,  was 
quieted  when  she  exclaimed, 

"Your  feet  are  like  ice,  and  must  be  warmed  Innuit  fashion!" 

Tookoolito^ then  resumed  her  place  beneath  ber  tuktoo  furs,  in- 
termingling her  hot  feet  with  the  ice-cold  ones  of  mine.  Soon  the 
same  musical  voice  said, 

"Do  your  feet  feel  better?" 

I  responded,  "  They  do,  and  many  thanks  to  you." 

She  then  said,  "  Well,  keep  them  where  they  are.  Good-night 
again,  sir." 

My  feet  now  were  not  only  glowing  warm,  but  hot  through  the 
remainder  of  the  night.  When  I  awoke  in  the  morning,  as  near 
as  I  could  guess,  there  were  no  loss  than  three  pairs  of  warm  feet 
all  woven  and  interwoven,  so  that  some  difficulty  was  experienced 
to  tell  which  were  my  own. 

Ebierbing  and  Koodloo  did  not  return  until  the  next  evening, 
bringing  with  them  some  black  skin  and  krang — all  the  success 
attending  them — which  was  obtained  from  a  cache,  made  the  pre- 
vious fall  by  the  natives  when  our  ship  was  in  the  bay.  The 
black  skin  was  compelled  to  be  our  food,  as  nothing  better  could 
be  had ;  and  at  supper  I  ate  heartily  of  the  raw  frozen  whale  hide. 

The  following  noon  a  very  heavy  snow-storm  came  on,  and  con- 
tinued throughout  the  next  and  two  following  days,  confining  us 
almost  entirely  to  the  igloo,  myself  obliged  to  live  on  black  skin, 
krang,  and  seal. 

On  Sunday,  the  20th  of  January,  ten  days  after  leaving  the 
ship,  we  found  ourselves  in  a  sad  state  from  actual  want  of 
food.  The  weather  continued  so  bad  that  it  was  impossible  to 
procure  any  by  hunting,  and  all  we  had  hitherto  obtained  was 
now  consumed,  except  a  very  small  portion  held  in  reserve.  I 
had  intended  sending  Koodloo  back  to  the  ship  for  supplies,  but 


STARVATION.— SERIOUS  TIMES.  203 

waited  for  more  suitable  weather,  Tliis  morning,  however,  it  was 
absolutely  necessary  an  attempt  should  be  made,  and  as  Koodloo 
refused  to  go  alone,  I  decided  upon  proceeding  with  him. 

We  expected  to  be  obliged  to  make  one  night's  encampment 
on  the  sea  ice,  now  again,  so  far  as  we  knew  from  that  around  us, 
compact,  and  we  hoped  to  reach  the  ship  on  the  following  day. 
My  only  preparation  was  a  sleeping  bag  and  shawl,  with  a  carpet 
sack  of  sundries,  and  half  a  pound  of  baked  mutton,  which  I  had 
carefully  preserved  to  the  present  moment. 

At  8  A.M.  we  were  in  readiness,  with  a  sledge  and  team  of  12 
dogs,  most  of  them  nearly  starved.  Bidding  adieu  to  Ebicrbing 
and  Tookoolito,  Koodloo  and  I  started  on  our  journey. 

At  first,  much  hummocky  ice  impeded  the  way,  but  this  we  got 
through,  and  I  anticipated  a  speedy  trip.  I  was,  however,  disap- 
pointed. Soon,  deep  snow  appeared ;  and  though  we  struggled 
for  some  miles  due  south,  it  was  at  length  evident  that  to  go  on 
like  that  would  be  impossible.  Occasionally  the  sledge  and  dogs 
contrived  to  get  forward  pretty  well,  but  often  they  were  so  buried 
as  to  be  almost  out  of  sight.  Koodloo  seemed  to  think  of  giving 
it  up,  and  I  was  so  weak  as  to  be  hardly  capable  of  dragging  my- 
self along.  While  in  this  dilemma  as  to  what  we  should  do — go 
on,  or  return  to  the  igloo — I  perceived  Ebierbing  and  Ugarng  on 
their  way  toward  us. 

They  had  noticed  my  difficulty,  and  Ebierbing  now  came  on 
snow-shoes  to  offer  his  services  in  going  to  the  ship  in  my  stead. 
I  accepted  the  proposal,  and  he,  with  Koodloo,  went  forwara, 
Ugarng  going  in  another  direction,  seeking  for  seal-holes,  while  I, 
slowly  and  with  difficulty,  owing  to  my  weakness,  returned  to  the 
igloo.  I  was  a  long  time  getting  back,  and  when  I  arrived  there 
was  obliged  to  throw  myself  on  the  snow  platform  quite  exhausted. 

Toward  evening,  the  weather  then  being  fine,  I  walked  on  to  u 
hill  that  overlooked  the  bay,  and  with  my  glass  saw  Ebierbing 
and  Koodloo  slowly  wending  their  way  along  near  where  our 
second  igloo  had  been  erected,  the  former  leading.  That  night 
and  the  following  day  I  was  hardly  able  to  move.  My  weak 
state,  owing  to  want  of  food — all  my  daily  fare  being  a  small  piece 
of  black  or  whale  skin — had  become  very  serious. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  Ugarng's.  He  had  just  returned  from 
sealing,  having  been  out  tivo  days  and  one  itight  over  a  seal-hole. 
All  the  reward  he  had,  however,  for  his  patient  exertions  was  the 
seal  coming  up  and  giving  a  puff;  then  away  it  went,  leaving 


204  AllCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Ugarng  a  disappoiHted  Iiinuit.  But  he  bore  his  disappointment 
very  philosophically.  lie  said,  in  his  native  tongue,  "Away  I  go 
to-morrow  morning  again  I" 

The  next  morning,  which  was  very  fine,  Ugarng  and  Jack  went 
out  sealing  again,  while  I  visited  several  portions  of  the  island. 
The  following  day  Ugarng  returned  once  more  unsuccessful, 
though  he  had  remained  all  night  over  the  seal-hole.  This  was 
very  bad  for  the  whole  of  us.  We  could  not  now  have  even  a 
fire-light  until  another  seal  was  captufed ;  and  when  I  called  at 
Ugarng's,  I  found  they  were  in  the  same  condition.  Nikujar 
(Polly)  was  alone,  except  her  infant  and  Kookooycr,  their  daugh- 
ter by  George.  They  were  without  light.  Ilcr  child  was  rest- 
less, and  she  said  the  cause  was  hunger.  "  Me  got  no  milk — meat 
all  gone — blubber  too — nothing  to  cat — no  more  light — no  heat 
— must  wait  till  get  seal." 

While  I  waited,  the  second  wife  came  in  and  said  Ugarng  was 
still  watching  over  a  seal-hole.  Jack  soon  afterward  returned 
without  success.  Sad—  -very  sad !  My  own  state  was  bad  enougli, 
and  I  felt  it  severely ;  but  I  could  not  bear  to  witness  the  wants 
of  the  poor  people  around  me,  having  no  power  to  relieve  them, 
unless  Ebierbing  should  soon  come  back  with  some  provisions 
from  the  ship.  All  that  I  had  to  cat  was  my  piece  of  black  skin, 
a  .J  this  I  relished.  Indeed,  I  could  have  eaten  any  thing  that 
would  have  gone  toward  keeping  up  the  caloric  within  me,  and 
make  bone  and  flesh. 

One  night  I  asked  Tookoolito  if  I  might  try  the  taste  of  some 
blackened  scraps  that  hung  up.  I  knew  that  she  had  reserved 
these  for  the  dogs,  but  nevertheless  I  had  an  uncontrollable  long- 
ing for  them.  I  was  very  hungry.  Tookoolito  replied  that  she 
could  not  think  of  my  eating  them — the  idea  made  her  almost 
sick ;  therefore  I  did  not  urge  the  matter  more ;  but  soon  after- 
ward I  saw  they  were  gone,  Punnie  (Ugarng's  third  wife)  having 
taken  them,  and  passed  the  whole  into  her  own  stomach ! 

Ugarng  came  in  late  again  unsuccessful,  and  Tookoolito  gave 
him  a  cup  of  tea,  such  as  it  w.  3,  for,  owing  to  the  absence  of  prop- 
er light  and  fuel,  it  could  not  be  well  made.  Directly  he  had  it, 
off  he  went  once  more  to  try  for  seal. 

The  next  morning  Ebierbing  had  not  returned,  and  we  were 
all  at  ou"r  wits'  end  to  find  something  to  eat.  At  length  Tookoo- 
lito made  out  to  cut  off  some  of  the  white  from  a  piece  of  black 
skin.    From  it  she  "  tried"  out  sufficient  oil  to  use  for  heating 


THE  GOOD  SIIUNAMITE. 


205 


EOmu  snow-water,  which,  v/hen  warmed,  was  thickened  with  In- 
dian meal,  a  few  handfuls  having  been  found  remaining  of  the 
small  quantity  I  had  brought  with  me.  The  quantity  of  meal 
did  not  weigh  above  two  ounces,  yet  it  seemed  to  "  loom  up'^  as  it 
was  incorporated  in  the  tepid  water,  and  the  incident  strongly  re- 
minded mo  of  the  good  woman  and  Elijah  of  Bible  history,  Too- 
koolito,  with  whom  I  shared  the  meal,  thought  the  "  pudding" 
excellent,  and  so  did  1.  Indeed,  I  shall  not  readily  forget  that 
breakfast,  even — as  I  wrote  at  the  time — "  if  I  live  to  enjoy  a 
thousand  more  dainty  ones  in  my  native  home  " 


aKAD  AND  AMTLEBB  OF  Tllli  ABCTIO  BEINDEEB. 


206  ARCTIC  RESEAECH  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Writing  under  DifflcnltJRS. — No  Fire  or  Lamp. — Only  two  Inches  of  Black  Skin  for 
Food. — Ravenous  Hunger  of  the  Dogs. — Relief  obtained. — Ebierbing's  Return. — 
A  Seal  captured. — Supplies  .'"rom  the  Ship. — Grand  Feast  of  raw  Meat. — Hunger 
needs  no  Sauce. — Great  Consumption  of  Food  at  a  time. — Old  Ookijoxy  Ninoo's 
Dream. — An  Innuit  Mark  of  a  Seal-hole. — Tobacco-juice  useful. — Watching  for 
the  Seal. — Innuit  Fnduranco  of  Cold. — Eating  frozen  Seal's  Enttails. — Mode  of 
cooking  and  partaking  of  Innuit  Food. — Severe  Cold. — The  Angeko  again. — 
liurning  the  Fingers  with  cold  Brass. — First  Reindeer  seen. — More  Innuit  Arri- 
vals.— Improvidence  of  the  Natives. — Generous  Disposition. — Live  to-day  and 
Want  to-morrow. — Author  Visits  Kowtukjua — Clark's  Harbor — and  Ookoolear — 
Allen's  Island. — Return  to  the  Igloo  Village. — Departure  for  the  Ship. — Too- 
koolito's  Sadness. — Quick  Journey. — Plaintive  Look  of  a  Seal. — Arrive  at  the 
O'eorije  JJenry. 

At  this  time,  though  I  kept  in  general  good  health  and  spirits, 
I  was  fast  losing  flesh.  But  almost  worse  than  want  of  food  was 
the  want  of  light  and  fuel.  On  several  occasions,  the  only  way  I 
had  to  keep  myself  from  freezing  was  by  sitting  in  bed  with  plenty 
of  tuktoo  furs  around  me.  The  writing  of  my  journal  was  done 
with  the  thermometer  -f  15°  to  less  than  0,  while  outside  it  was 
from  —25°  to  —52°.  During  the  day  I  several  times  went  up 
the  hill  to  look  for  Ebierbing's  reappearance  from  the  vessel,  but 
no  signs  of  him  met  my  eye,  and  the  night  of  January  24th  (four- 
teen days  from  the  ship)  saw  us  with  our  last  ration  of  food,  viz., 
a  piece  of  "  black  skin"  1^  inch  wide,  2  inches  long,  and  f  of  an 
inch  thick.  It  was  under  these  very  "  agreeable"  circumstances  I 
went  to  sleep,  hoping  to  dream  of  better  things,  even  if  I  could 
not  partake  of  them.  "  Better  things"  fortunately  did  arrive,  and 
in  a  way  that  I  could  partake  of  them. 

At  midnight  I  heard  footsteps  within  the  passage-way  to  our 
igloo.  Intuitively  I  knew  it  was  Jack  with  ooksook — seal-blub- 
ber. I  sprang  out  of  bed  and  drew  back  the  snow-block  door. 
There  loas  Jack,  his  spear  covered  with  pierced  seal-blubber 
hanging  in  strips  like  string-dried  apples.  I  had  allowed  my 
poor  starving  dog  "Merok"  to  sleep  within  the  igloo  that  night, 
and,  directly  I  had  opened  the  door,  on  his  scenting  the  luscious 
fat,  quicker  than  thought  he  gave  one  leap — a  desperate  one,  as 
if  the  strength  of  a  dozen  well-fed  animals  were  in  him.    In  an 


RELIEF  OBTAINED.  207 

instant  I  grappled  with  the  dog,  and  made  great  efforts  to  save 
the  precious  material ;  but,  though  I  actually  thrust  my  hands 
into  his  mouth,  and  though  Tookoolito  and  Punnie  also  battled 
with  him,  Merok  conquered,  and  instantly  devoured  that  portion 
he  had  seized. 

This  misfortune,  however,  was  not  single.  Before  Jack  could 
get  his  well-loaded  spear  and  himself  into  the  igloo,  all  the  other 
dogs  about  the  place  were  around  him,  fighting  for  a  share  of 
what  was  left.  They  succeeded  in  obtaining  nearly  all  before  we 
could  drive  them  away,  and  thus  the  good  portion  intended  for 
uj  from  what  Jack  had  procured  was  lost  to  us,  but  not  to  the 
dogs !  Jack,  who  was  of  Ugarng's  party,  and  had  brought  this  as 
a  present,  returned  to  his  own  igloo,  and  left  us  disconsolate  to 
ours.  "  Better  things,"  therefore,  in  that  case,  were  not  for  us ; 
but,  nevertheless,  as  I  have  said  above,  they  did  arrive,  and  that 
speedily. 

Not  before  9  A.M.  did  I  again  leave  my  tuktoo  bed  and  go  out- 
side the  igloo  to  look  around.  Naturally  and  longingly  my  first 
glance  was  in  the  direction  whence  I  expected  Ebierbing.  In  a 
moment  my  eyes  caught  something  black  upon  the  almost  uni- 
versal whiteness.  I  looked  again  and  again.  It  moved,  and  im- 
mediately my  heart  leaped  with  joy  as  my  tongue  gave  utterance 
in  loud  tones  to  Tookoolito  within,  "  Ebierbing !  Ebierbing !  He 
is  coming!  he  is  coming!"  The  response  was,  "That  is  good;" 
and  I — merely  adding,  "I  go  to  meet  him" — bounded  away  as 
fast  as  my  enfeebled  body  would  allow. 

I  soon  found,  however,  that  if  progress  was  to  be  made  toward 
him,  I  must  do  it  by  slow  degrees  and  patient  steps.  "  Black 
skin,"  in  homoeopathic  quantities,  daily  taken  for  food,  had  but 
kept  my  stomach  in  sufiieient  action  to  sup{^rt  life.  All  the 
strength  I  now  had  was  mostly  from  the  beefsteaks  of  dear  Ohio, 
eaten  and  moulded  into  human  fat,  muscle,  and  bones  before  leav- 
ing my  native  home.  But  this  remaining  strength  was  very,  very 
small,  and  thus  my  efforts  to  get  on  soon  nearly  exhausted  me. 

After  a  great  struggle  through  the  deep  snow,  I  at  lust  got 
within  hailing  distance,  and  sang  out  to  know  if  it  was  really 
Ebierbing,  as  the  party  I  had  seen  was  no  longer  advancing.  No 
reply  came  to  my  question,  and  I  immediately  hastened  my  fec- 
Ijle  steps  to  see  the  cause.  A  moment  or  two  more  brought  me 
near  enough  to  be  convinced.  It  ivas  Ebierbing,  with  the  sledge 
and  dogs,  but  so  exhausted  with  his  labors  that  he  had  been 


208  ARCTIC  RKSEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

obliged  to  throw  himself  down,  completely  overpowered.  Soou  I 
was  by  his  side  grasping  his  hand,  and,  with  a  grateful  heart, 
thanking  him  for  the  really  good  deed  ho  had  performed  in  thut* 
coming  alone  with  the  relief  I  saw  before  me. 

In  it  short  time  the  loaded  sledge  was  examined,  and  I  found  a 
box  of  sundries  sent  from  the  ship,  as  also  a  very  fine  seal,  cuwjhl 
that  morning  hy  Ehicrhing  himself.  There  was  likewise  a  quantity 
of  whale -meat,  brought  from  Rescue  Harbor  for  the  use  of  our 
dogs. 

Directly  Ebierbing  could  renew  his  journey,  wo  started  togeth- 
er ;  but  the  dogs  and  both  of  us  were  hardly  able  to  get  the  sledge, 
along.  Finally  we  reached  the  shore  ice,  and  here  wo  were  so 
exhausted  that  not  one  inch  farther  could  wo  drag  the  loaded 
sledge.  Kunniu,  wife  No.  2  of  Ugarng,  seeing  our  condition,  hast- 
ened to  give  assistance,  and  with  her  strong  arms  and  our  small 
help,  the  sledge  was  soon  placed  high  on  the  shore  by  the  side  of 
the  igloos. 

Ebierbing's  first  and  most  earnest  call  was  for  "  water."  This 
was  supplied  to  him,  and  then  we  commenced  storing  our  new 
supplies.  The  seal  was  taken  into  the  igloo — the  usual  place  for 
a  captured  seal — and  the  sledge,  with  its  contents,  was  properly 
attended  to.  Of  course  the  news  of  Ebierbing's  arrival  with  a 
seal  "  spread  like  wildfire,"  and  in  our  quiet  little  village,  consist- 
ing of  three  igloos,  all  the  inhabitants  with  exhausted  stomachs — 
including  my  own — were  prepared  for  wide  distention. 

The  seal  weighed,  I  should  say,  about  200  lbs.,  and  was  with 
young.  According  to  Innuit  custom,  an  immediate  invitation 
was  given  by  the  successful  hunter's  family  for  every  one  to  at- 
tend a  "seal  feast."  This  was  speedily  done,  and  our  igloo  was 
soon  crowded.  My  station  was  on  the  dais,  or  bed-place,  behind 
several  Innuit  women,  but  so  that  I  could  see  over  them  and 
watch  what  was  going  on. 

The  first  thing  done  was  to  consecrate  the  seal,  the  ceremony 
being  to  sprinkle  water  over  it,  when  the  stalwart  host  and  his  as- 
sistant proceeded  to  separate  the  "  blanket" — that  is,  the  blubber, 
with  skin — from  the  solid  meat  and  skeleton  of  the  seal.  The 
body  was  then  opened  and  the  blood  scooped  out.  This  blood  is 
considered  very  precious,  and  forms  an  important  item  of  the  food 
largely  consumed  by  Esquimaux.  Next  came  the  liver,  which 
was  cut  into  pieces  and  distributed  all  around,  myself  getting  and 
eating  a  share.     Of  course  it  was  eaten  raw — for  this  was  a  raw- 


GREAT  SEAL-FEAST.  209 

meat  feast  —  its  eating  being  accompanied  by  taking  into  the 
mouth  at  the  same  time  a  small  portion  of  delicate  white  blubber, 
which  answered  the  same  as  butter  with  bread.  Then  followed 
distributing  the  ribs  of  the  seal  for  social  picking.  I  joined  in  all 
this,  doing  as  they  did,  and  becoming  quite  an  Innuit  save  in  the 
quantity  eaten.  This  I  might  challenge  any  while  man  to  do.  No 
human  stomach  but  an  Innuit's  could  possibly  hold  'vhat  I  saw 
these  men  and  women  devour. 

Directly  the  "  feast"  was  ended  all  the  company  dispersed.  Too- 
koolito  then  sent  around  bountiful  gifts  of  seal -blubber  for  fire- 
lamps;  also  some  seal  meat  and  blood.  This  is  the  usual  custom 
among  the  Innuits,  and,  undoubtedly,  is  a  virtue  to  be  commend- 
ed. They  share  each  other's  successes,  and  bear  each  other's 
wants.  Generally,  if  it  is  found  that  one  is  short  of  provisions,  it 
may  bo  known  that  all  are.    When  one  has  a  supply,  all  have. 

After  the  feast  and  the  gifts  were  over,  we  had  leisure  to  attend 
to  ourselves,  and  in  what  "  great  good  humor"  we  were  soon  to 
be  found !     Our  lamps  were  all  aglow  and  our  hunger  sated.     I 

then  took  up  the  letter  sent  me  by  Captain  B ,  which  added 

to  my  pleasure  in  its  perusal. 

It  aj)peared,  by  what  I  read,  that  every  one  on  board  the  ship, 
as  also  the  natives  in  the  two  villages,  had  given  us  up  for  lost 
during  the  gale  wo  encountered  when  encamped  on  the  ice. 
From  the  long  absence  of  all  information  about  us,  and  the  fact 
that  the  same  gale  had  broken  up  the  ice  in  Field  Bay,  it  was 
concluded  that  wo  had  been  driven  out  to  sea,  and  probably  had 
perished.  Koodloo's  wife  never  expected  to  see  him  again;  and 
old  Oohijoocy  Ninoo,  the  grandmother  of  Ebicrbing,  said  she  dreamt 
about  him  in  such  a  way  that  his  death  was  almost  assured  to  her. 

My  information  from  the  ship  told  me  that  the  natives  in  both 
villages  were  still  badly  off,  not  having  caught  one  seal  since  our 
departure. 

I  must  now  mention,  briefly,  how  Ebierbing  obtained  the  fine 
seal  he  brought  with  him.  On  his  way  to  the  ship  he  discovered 
a  seal-hole,  but,  being  hurried  for  time,  he  merely  erected  a  small 
pile  of  snow  near  at  hand,  and  squirted  tobacco-juice  as  a  mark  upon 
it.  0\\  his  return,  he  readily  found  the  hole  by  this  mark,  and, 
though  he  felt  the  necessity  of  hastening  on  to  our  relief,  and  had 
received  instructions  from  the  captain  to  hurry  forward,  yet  he 
determined  to  try  for  the  prize  by  spending  the  night  in  attempt- 
ing to  gain  it.     Accordingly,  binding  my  shawl  and  various  furs 

0 


210  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

around  his  feet  and  legs,  he  took  his  position,  spear  in  hand,  over 
the  seal-hole.  This  hole  was  buried  in  two  feet  of  snow,  and  had 
been  first  detected  by  the  keen  sagacity  of  one  of  the  dogs  with 
him.  Ebierbing,  while  watching,  first  thrust  the  spindle  shank 
of  the  spear  a  score  of  times  down  through  the  snow,  i;ntil  he 
finally  hit  the  small  aperture  leading  through  the  ice.  It  was  a 
dark  night,  and  this  made  it  the  more  difticult,  for,  in  striking  at 
a  seal,  it  will  not  do  to  miss  the  exact  spot  where  the  animal  comes 
to  breathe — no,  not  by  a  quarter  of  an  inch.  But,  to  make  sure  of 
being  right  when  aiming,  Ebierbing  put  some  dark  tuktoo  hair 
directly  over  it,  and  thus,  after  patiently  watching  the  whole  night 
long,  he  was  rewarded  in  the  early  morning  by  hearing  the  seal 
blow.  In  a  moment  more  he  captured  it  by  a  well-directed  aim 
of  his  spear. 

The  next  morning,  January  26tli,  the  Innuits  Ugarng,  Ebier- 
bing, and  Jack  all  separated  for  some  place  where  they  hoped  to 
get  seals.  I  supplied  them  as  liberally  as  I  could  with  my  pro- 
visions, and  then  myself  remained  behind  to  proceed  with  certain 
observations  I  daily  made  in  reference  to  determining  positions, 
and  otlierwise  noting  down  particulars  concerning  the  locality 
around  me. 

The  rations  sent  me  from  the  ship  were  examined  and  placed 
in  safety  from  the  dogs,  but  not  from  the  truly  honest  Innuits, 
for  such  precaution  was  not  needed ;  and  then  I  tried  to  go  on 
with  some  work.  But  it  was  colder  than  we  had  yet  experienced, 
the  thermometer  being  that  night  (the  seventeenth  of  my  igloo 
life)  75°  below  the  freezing  point !  Eemembcriiig  that  our  sealers 
were  out  on  the  ice,  and,  as  they  had  said,  would  each  be  watch- 
ing for  a  prize,  I  shuddered,  fully  expecting  they  must  be  frozen 
to  death ;  but  what  was  my  surprise  and  pleasure  in  the  after- 
noon to  see  Jack  and  Ebierbing  return,  each  with  a  seal — the  one 
captured  about  midnight,  the  other  early  in  the  morning. 

Ebierbing  admitted  that  he  had  felt  the  cold  very  much  while 
watching,  and,  though  well  wrapped  in  furs  tied  around  him, 
could  hardly  prevent  his  feet  frcm  freezing.  As  to  his  nose,  ihat 
did  get  touelied  b}'-  the  frost,  but  he  soon  remedied  it  by  smoking 
a  Yankee  clay  jiipe  "loaded"  with  Virginia  tobacco. 

Ugarng  returned  in  the  evening  unsuccessful. 

Another  "seal-feast"  was  of  course  made,  and  on  this  occasion 
I  supjied  on  seal  soup,  with  about  two  3'ards  of  frozen  seal's  en- 
trails (very  good  eating)  as  a  finish  to  the  affair. 


PEALINU   IN  THE  W'INTBB. 


INNUIT  MODE  OF  EATING  FOOD.  213 

These  seal  suppers  I  found  to  be  most  excellent.  The  seal- 
meat  is  cooked  in  a  pan  suspended  for  three  or  four  houis  over 
the  fire-lamp.  Generally  it  is  boiled  in  water — half  of  it  sea- 
water — and  blood/  When  ready,  it  is  served  up  by  first  giving 
to  each  person  a  piece  of  the  meat.  This  is  followed  by  a  dish  of 
smoking-hot  soup,  that  is,  the  material  in  which  the  seal  has  been 
cooked ;  and  I  challenge  any  one  to  find  more  palatable  food  in 
the  United  States.  It  is  ambrosia  and  nectar  !  Once  tasted,  the 
cry  is  sure  to  be  ^'■More!  morcP'' 

The  seal-meat,  I  may  state,  is  eaten  by  holding  it  in  both  hands, 
the  fingers  and  the  dental  "  mill"  supplying  the  offices  of  both 
knife  and  fork.  This  mode  of  eating  was  known  before  such  in- 
struments were  thought  of.  Among  the  Innuits  generally,  the 
following  practice  prevails :  Before  the  igloo  wife  hands  any  one 
a  piece  of  meat,  she  ^'■soups^''  it  all  over,  that  is,  sucks  out  all  the 
fluid  from  the  meat  that  would  probably  otherwise  drip  out. 
Farthermorc,  if  there  be  any  foreign  matter  upon  it,  such  as  seal, 
dog,  or  reindeer  hairs,  she  lichs  them  all  off  with  her  pliant  tongue. 

On  January  29th  wc  had  the  cold  so  severe  that  the  thermom- 
eter showed,  during  the  night  and  in  the  morning,  82°  below  the 
freezing  point !  yet,  strangely,  I  had  experienced  more  severe  sen- 
sations of  cold  when  the  temperature  was  at  zero  than  at  this  low 
state.  Still  it  rvas  cold,  and  bitingly  cold!  How  Ebierbing  and 
the  other  men — who  had  again  left  on  the  previous  evening — 
could  keep  to  their  watch  during  that  cold  night  was  to  me  mar- 
velous; yet  they  did  so;  and  when  Ebierbing  returned  about 
9  A.M.  without  success,  ho  told  me  that  he  was  unwearied  in  his 
watchfulness  all  through  the  dreary  time.  Al  midnir/ht  a  seal  had 
come  to  breathe,  but  he  was  not  so  ready  or  so  smart — probably 
was  too  much  frozen — as  to  strike  in  time,  and  therefore  lost  it. 

Sometimes  the  wives  accompany  their  husbands  sealing,  even 
in  such  weather. 

Recording  my  own  experience  of  igloo  life  at  this  time,  I  may 
here  say  that,  having  then  spent  twenty  nights  in  a  snow  house,  I 
enjoyed  it  exceedingly.  Now,  as  I  look  back  at  the  past,  I  find 
no  reason  to  utter  any  thing  diirerent.  I  was  as  happy  as  cir- 
cumstances permitted,  even  though  with  Innuits  only  for  my 
companions.  Life  has  charms  every  where,  and  I  must  confess 
that  Innuit  life  possesses  those  charms  to  a  great  degree  for  me. 

On  the  31st  we  had  a  stranger  visit  us — a  boy  called  Koo-oh 
hong — who  arrived  from  a  spot  one  mile  west  of  where  our  first 


214  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION, 

igloo  had  been  erected.  He  had  found  us  out,  and  stated  that  he 
left  behind,  at  the  stopping-place,  Mingumailo  the  angeko,  with 
his  two  wives.  They  had  started  for  that  spot  a  short  time  pre- 
ceding us,  but  now,  having  been  a  long  while  without  food,  he 
came  to  see  if  we  could  supply  him.  The  lad  had  an  abundance 
given  him,  and  never  before  did  I  see  such  an  amount  of  gorging 
as  I  did  then  by  that  boy. 

Next  day  Ugarng  departed  on  a  visit  to  the  ship,  and  with 
sundry  presents  of  seal-meat,  etc.,  from  Ebierbing  to  his  aged 

grandmother  and  friends.     I  also  sent  a  letter  to  Captain  B , 

preferring  to  remain  until  I  bad  completed  all  my  observations. 
While  taking  some  of  tt  ese,  however,  I  "  burned"  my  fingers  most 
sadly  by  laying  hold  of  my  brass  pocket  sextant  with  my  bare 
hand.  I  say  burned  them,  because  the  effect  was  precisely  the 
same  as  if  I  had  touched  red-hot  iron.  The  ends  of  my  finger- 
nails were  like  burnt  bone  or  horn ;  and  the  fleshy  part  t»f  the 
tips  of  my  fingers  and  thumbs  were,  in  appearance  and  feeling,  as 
if  suddenly  burnt  by  fire. 

On  the  3d  of  February  we  caught  sight  of  some  reindeer  on  the 
ice,  making  their  way  slowly  in  single  file  northward,  and  eventu- 
ally coming  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  our  igloc  I  had  given 
my  rifle  to  Ebierbing  on  the  first  sight  of  them,  that  he  might 
try  his  skill  in  killing  one ;  but,  owing  to  the  charge  of  powder 
being  too  small,  he  missed,  and  the  reindeer,  alarmed,  darted  off 
with  the  speed  of  the  wind,  much  to  our  regret. 

That  night,  about  12  o'clock,  we  were  aroused  by  a  call  from 
some  one  evidently  in  distress.  The  cry  came  from  the  passage- 
way just  without  the  igloo,  and  was  at  once  responded  to  by  Ebi- 
erbing telling  the  stranger  to  come  in.  lie  did  so,  and  who  should 
stand  before  us  but  Mingumailo  the  angeko  I  lie  spoke  feebly, 
and  said  that  he  was  very  ill,  thirsty,  and  hungry  ;  and  that  he, 
with  his  family,  had  had  nothing  to  cat  for  nearly  one  month  !  Im- 
mediately a  pile  of  frozen  seal-meat  was  pointed  out  to  him,  with 
permission  to  cat  some,  and,  quick  as  lightning,  the  famished  man 
sprang  to  it  like  a  starving  bear.  But  how  he  did  gorge !  He 
swallowed  enough,  1  thought,  to  have  Icilled  six  wdiite  men,  yet 
he  took  it  without  any  apparent  discomfort.  Water  was  supplied 
to  him,  and  of  this  he  drank  copiously — two  quarts  went  down 
his  camel  stomach  without  drawing  breath !  Seeing  his  tremen- 
dous attack  upon  our  precious  pile  of  fresh  provisions,  I  really  felt 
alarmed  lest  he  meant  to  demolish  the  whole,  and  leave  us  with- 


IMPROVIDENCE  OF  THE  NATIVES.  215 

out.  To  feed  a  hungry  man  was  well  enough,  and  a  ready  act  on 
the  part  of  all  of  us ;  but  then  for  him  to  have  a  stomach  as  huge 
and  voracious  as  any  polar  bear,  and  try  to  fill  that  stomach  from 
our  limited  supply  of  food,  was  more  than  wo  could  reasonably 
stand.  I  grew  impatient ;  but  finally  the  angeko  gave  in.  He 
really  had  no  power  to  stow  away  one  piece  more.  He  was  full 
to  repletion ;  and,  throwing  himself  flat  on  the  igloo  floor,  he  re- 
signed himself  to  the  heavy  task  Nature  now  had  to  perform 
in  the  process  of  digesting  the  monstrous  heap  he  had  taken 
within. 

After  a  time  the  angeko  told  ur  that  one  of  his  wives  had  accom- 
panied him,  but  had  gone  into  another  igloo.  The  other  wife  kept 
with  them  as  far  as  she  could,  when  he  was  obliged  to  leave  her 
till  means  of  relief  could  be  found.  He  had  built  an  igloo  for  her, 
and  then  hastened  on  to  our  snow  village.  In  the  morning  Noo- 
okkong,  the  Innuit  lad,  went  with  some  food  to  her,  and  soon  aft- 
erward brought  her  in,  thus  making  an  additioii  of  no  less  than 
four  hungry  mouths  to  aid  in  consuming  our  supplies.  To  add 
to  our  dilemma,  Ugarng  returned  on  the  following  day  bringing 
with  him  three  more  fiisting  beings  besides  himself  They  were 
his  mother,  Ookijoxy  Ninoo,  his  nephew  Eterloong,  and  his  niece 
Ookoodlear,  all  related  to  Ebierbing. 

Ugarng,  however,  brought  for  me  additional  supplies  from  the 
ship ;  but  I  saw  quite  clearly  that,  whatever  I  might  feel  inclined 
to  do  for  my  late  companions  in  their  need,  it  would  never  an- 
swer to  begin  supplying  all  strangers  that  arrived,  particularly 
the  angeko,  who  was  lazy,  and  living  upon  the  credulity  of  his 
people.  Therefore  I  determined  to  stop  this  as  speedily  as  pos- 
sible. The  angeko,  however,  left  us  in  a  day  or  two  for  another 
place,  where  he  and  his  wives  were  afterward  found,  again  starv- 
ing. 

News  from  the  ship  told  me  that  all  were  well  on  board,  and 
that  the  natives  had  caught  om  sea],  the  captor  being  Koodloo, 
who  had  remained  there  when  Ebierbing  went  with  him  on  the 
first  trip  back  to  the  vessel. 

Storry,  of  the  ship's  company,  had  been  some  time  living  at  a 
place  in  Frobislier  Bay,  and  had,  with  the  natives,  caught  two 

walrus.     Captain  B intended  going  thither  the  next  month 

witli  some  men,  to  see  what  could  be  done  the  coming  season  in 
the  way  of  whaling. 

After  this  arrival,  the  usual  daily  incidents  of  our  life  were  un- 


216  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

varied  for  some  time.  Occasionally  seals  were  obtained,  princi- 
pally by  Ugarng  and  Ebierbing,  and  then  a  grand  feast  of  raw 
food  took  place. 

The  improvidence  and  thoughtlessness  of  the  Innuit  people  are 
remarkable.  If  they  can  live  bountifully  and  joyously  to-day^  the 
morrow  may  take  its  chance.  This  was  repeatedly  shown  in  the 
conduct  of  one  and  all  during  my  residence  with  them  in  the 
i-tIoos.  Not  even  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito  were  exempt  from 
th's  failing.  They  would  eat,  and  let  others  eat  up  all  they  had 
one  day,  though  they — and,  I  must  add,  ?nyse^/— -starved  the  next. 
In  addition  to  this  want  of  due  consideration  concerning  food  for 
their  own  home,  Tookoolito  was  generous  in  the  extreme,  always 
giving  when  asked,  and  trusting  to  what  might  happen  afterward 
for  replenishing  the  supply.  Ugarng's  numerous  family,  consist- 
ing of  no  less  than  seven  individuals,  made  incessant  demands 
upon  her  and  Ebierbing,  and  also  upon  myself,  whenever  it  could 
be  done  by  cajolery,  or — as  I  often  thought  would  follow — by  in- 
timidation. My  own  stores  I  freely  gave  to  an  extent  that  I  con- 
sidered advisable,  and  no  more;  but  I  frequently  pointed  out  to 
my  Esquimaux  friends  the  necessity  of  husbanding  what  they 
obtained  by  their  persevering  and  arduous  labors.  It  was,  how- 
ever, of  no  use.  Eat,  eat,  give,  give,  let  go  and  never  mind,  seem- 
ed the  principle  that  guided  them ;  and,  consequently,  in  a  short 
time  starvation  again  stared  the  whole  village  in  the  face. 

Ebierbing,  however,  was  a  most  persevering  and  indefatigable 
sealer.  During  that  season  he  caught  more  seals  than  any  other 
man  ;  and  on  one  occasion,  by  the  aid  of  my  rifle,  which  I  had 
loaned  to  him,  he  succeeded  in  bringing  back  four  seals,  after  hav- 
ing taken  six,  but  two  were  lost.  This  was  on  an  excursion  he 
took  by  way  of  Clark's  Harbor  to  Allen's  Island.  Ugarng  had 
gone  with  him,  and  built  an  igloo  near  a  narrow  channel  kept  open 
by  swift  tides,  discovered  at  that  place.  The  angcko,  staying  at 
Clark's  Ilarbor,  would  not  stir  from  there,  having  found  a  deposit, 
formerly  made  by  us  in  the  ship,  of  whale  krang,  and  upon  this 
he  and  his  two  wives  were  living — that  is,  so  far  as  he  allowed  the 
poor  women  to  share  with  him.  When,  however,  Ebierbing  was 
returning  with  his  great  prize,  this  lazy,  worthless  angcko  must 
needs  join  him  to  share  in  the  feast  which  followed.  I  need  hard- 
ly say  that  my  own  feelings  toward  the  man  were  not  of  the  most 
peaceable ;  but  I  was  alone,  and  even  my  two  Innuit  friends  yield- 
ed to  the  sway  of  their  angeko ;  hence  I  was  powerless  to  avert 


DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  SHIP.  217 

aught  such  a  man  might  instantly  command  to  be  done,  had  I  of- 
fended him. 

When  Ebierbing  returned  with  the  four  seals  he  merely  staid 
long  enough  for  the  feast,  and  was  off  again,  with  the  understand- 
ing to  look  out  for  me,  as  I  purposed  following  him.  This  I  did 
on  the  16th  day  of  February,  being  the  thirty-eighth  of  my  de- 
parture from  the  ship,  and  of  my  living  thus  wholly  among  the 
Innuits.  The  Innuit  Jack  was  my  companion,  and  we  arrived  at 
Kowtukjua  (Clark's  Harbor)  about  3  P.M. 

This  place  was  where  we  had  anchored  in  the  ship  during  the 
previous  fall,  and  where  I  nearly  lost  my  life  by  the  accidental 
pistol-shot  on  the  13th  of  August.  I  examined  the  locality,  and 
then,  at  4  P.M.,  started  for  Allen's  Island. 

We  arrived  at  Ugarng's  igloo  about  7  P.M.,  end  were  wel- 
comed by  Kunniu,  Ugarng  himself  being  out  sealing.  Here  I 
staid  until  the  18th,  aiding  them  as  far  as  I  could,  and  curiously 
watching  the  various  cflForts  made  to  sustain  and  enjoy  life  by 
these  singular  people  of  the  North. 

In  a  future  chapter  I  shall  dwell  upon  this  more  largely;  but 
now  I  must  only  say  that  great  success  attended  Ugarng's  exer- 
tions, and  when  we  all  started  for  the  igloo  village  it  was  with  a 
good  store  of  food  upon  our  sledge.  We  arrived  in  the  after- 
noon, and,  after  the  usual  feast,  passed  the  evening  in  social  con- 
versation. 

I  had  now  been  forty-two  nights  in  an  igloo,  living  with  the 
natives  most  of  the  time  on  their  food  and  according  to  their  own 
customs.  I  therefore  considered  that  I  had  gained  some  experi- 
ence in  the  matter,  and,  having  made  several  observations  for  de- 
termining the  locality  of  places,  prepared  for  my  return. 

I  bade  adieu  to  my  Innuit  friends  in  the  village,  and  on  the 
21st  of  February  left  what  I  then  called  "  my  Northern  home"  for 
the  ship.  I  was  accompanied  by  Ebierbing,  Ugarng,  and  Kun- 
niu, and  we  had  the  sledge  and  dogs  with  us.  The  parting  from 
Tookoolito  was  affecting.  She  evidently  felt  it;  but  the  hope  of 
herself  and  husband  soon  being  with  me  again  on  my  future  ex- 
cursions removed  much  of  the  disappointment  she  then  felt  at  my 
going  away.  In  ftict,  both  she  and  Ebierbing  were  as  children  to 
ine,  and  I  felt  toward  them  like  what  a  parent  would. 

It  was  a  fine  day  when  wc  left  the  village  at  7  A.M.,  and  rapid 
progress  was  made.  As  we  moved  out  into  the  bay,  a  glow  of 
red  light  suffused  the  heavens  at  the  eastern  part  of  the  horizon, 


218  ARCTIC  llESEAUCH  EXPEDITION. 

and  when  wc  had  made  about  four  miles  south  the  sun  began  to 
lift  his  glorious  face,  his  darting  rays  kissing  the  peaks  of  the 
mountains  around.  Occasionally  I  looked  back  to  the  igloos 
where  I  had  spent  so  many  days — far  from  uncomfortable  ones — 
among  my  Innuit  friends ;  but  soon  they  were  out  of  sight,  and 
my  thoughts  now  turned  wholly  to  the  warm  hearts  that  I  hoped 
to  meet  on  board  that  night. 

At  9  A.M.  we  reached  new  ice,  which  started  the  sealers  to  try 
their  hands  once  more  for  a  prize.  In  ten  minutes  more  Ebier- 
bing  had  found  a  hole,  and  actually  secured  a  seal  I  He  hailed 
me  to  come,  and,  on  reaching  the  spot,  I  was  asked  to  pull  the 
seal  up  while  he  enlarged  the  hole,  that  it  might  be  drawn  on  to 
the  ice.  I  did  so ;  and  as  the  beautiful,  eloquent  eyes  of  the  vic- 
tim met  my  sight,  I  felt  a  sort  of  shudder  come  over  me,  for  it 
seemed  to  say,  "  Why  disturb  me  here  ?  I  do  no  harm.  Do  not 
kill  me !"  But  the  great  scaler,  Ebierbing,  with  his  spear,  had  al- 
ready enlarged  the  hole,  and,  hauling  the  prize  higher  up,  speed- 
ily ended  its  life  by  a  few  well-directed  thrusts  midway  between 
the  seal's  fore-flippers.  Not  a  struggle  did  the  victim  make.  Its 
end  was  as  peaceful  as  that  of  a  lamb. 

Ugarng  had  been  unsuccessful ;  but  the  one  prize  of  Ebierbing 
was  something,  and,  after  properly  securing  it  to  the  sledge,  away 
we  went  on  our  course  again.  At  10  A.M.  we  lunched  on  frozen 
seal,  and  our  dinner  was  the  same.  We  reached  the  land  at  3 
P.M.,  and  crossed  it  in  two  hours  and  forty-five  minutes  to  Field 
Bay.  A  half  hour's  traveling  upon  the  ice  brought  us  to  the 
ship,  where  I  found  all  the  crew  ready  to  welcome  me  with  out- 
stretched hands,  and,  I  am  sure,  kindly  hearts.  For  a  moment, 
on  once  more  standing  upon  the  ship's  deck,  I  felt  myself  over- 
powered ;  but,  speedily  recovering,  I  returned  the  congratulations 
ofiered,  and,  after  seeing  my  companions  were  attended  to,  I  de- 
scended to  the  cabin,  where  numerous  comforts  of  civilization 
awaited  me.  A  warm  supper  was  most  acceptable.  I  was  much 
fatigued  with  my  journey ;  and,  soon  after  a  short  conversation 
which  followed,  I  gladly  retired.  Once  more,  then,  did  I  enter 
my  own  little  domicile,  where  I  did  not  forget  to  return  thanks  to 
Ilim  who  had  so  preserved  me  in  health  and  safety  during  that, 
my  first  experience  of  personal  life  among  the  native  Innuit  tribes 
of  the  icy  North. 


NATIVE  VILLAGE  ON  THE  ICE.  21U 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Irksome  Chango  from  a  Snow  IIoiiso  to  the  Ship's  Cnbin. — Native  Village  on  the 
Ice. — Scurvy  on  IJonrd, — Best  Cure  for  it. — "Tuktoo!  Tuktoo!" — A  Reindeer 
Hunt. — Dogs  in  Ciiase. — licmarkablc  Sagacity  and  Courage  of  Barbckark. — Tho 
Deer  killed  by  liiin. — Great  Struggle  between  them, — A  Venison  Feast  for  the 
Ship's  Crew. — Deatli  of  Blind  George's  Wife. — Some  of  tho  sick  Crew  sent  to  live 
with  the  Natives. — The  Innuit  King-wat-chc-ung. — His  Kindness  to  White  Men. 
— Koojcsso  and  Charley. — A  sick  Man's  Obstinacy. — One  of  the  Sailors  missing. — 
Search  for  him. — Severely  cold  Weather. — Most  of  the  Party  unable  to  keep  np 
the  Search. — Tho  Author  and  ono  Sailor  persevere. — The  missing  Man's  Tracks; 
his  erratic  Movements ;  ho  gets  confused  and  goes  Seaward ;  has  n  Kest  in  tho 
Snow;  moves  on  again,  and  ])rocced8  Miles  from  the  Ship;  his  Scramble  round 
an  Iceberg. — Author  and  bis  Companion  exhausted. — Temptation  to  lie  down 
and  Sleep. — Sledge  arrives  from  the  Ship. — Search  continued. — Tracks  lend  to 
the  Shore. — Signs  of  a  fearful  Struggle. — Discovery  of  the  Body,  frozen  stitV. — 
Ground  too  hard  to  dig  n  Grave. — Cover  the  Corpse  with  Ico  and  Snow. — Uetum 
to  the  Ship. 

My  first  night  (February  21st,  1861)  on  board  the  George  Hen- 
ry^ after  forty-three  clays  away  in  an  igloo,  was  a  sleepless  one  ; 
not  from  any  want  of  comfort,  but  in  consequence  of  the  supera- 
bundance of  it.  From  the  pure  atmosphere  of  a  snow  house  to 
the  warm,  confined  air  of  a  small  cabin,  the  change  is  great,  and 
I  felt  it  extremely  while  undergoing  the  resulting  "sweating" 
process. 

The  next  morning  I  visited  tho  crew  to  see  how  the  men  were, 
and  was  sorry  to  find  one  or  two  cases  of  scurvy  among  them. 
The  legs  of  one  man,  from  his  knees  down  to  his  feet,  were  almost 
as  black  as  coal  tjir.  In  reply  to  a  question  put  to  me,  I  said  that 
forty-three  days  in  an  igloo  among  Innuits  was,  in  ray  opinion, 
the  best  cure  for  them.  I  then  went  on  shore  with  Captain 
B . 

My  dogs  were  all  well,  and  right  glad  to  sec  me.  The  wreck 
oii]\Q  Rescue  still  existed,  though  much  of  its  materials  had  been 
used  for  fuel  and  other  useful  purposes. 

I  found,  astern  of  the  George  Henry,  several  igloos  built  upon 
the  I'ce,  though  but  few  of  the  natives  remained  here.  Nearly  all 
the  inhabitants  of  both  villages  had  gone  away  to  Frobisher  Bay, 
where  they  hoped  more  success  would  attend  their  exertions  to 


220  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

procure  food.  Indeed,!  understood  that  not  less  than  a  hundred 
Inuuits  were  located  in  one  place,  and  doing  well. 

On  the  2-lth  of  February  Ebierbing  returned  to  Cornelius  Grin- 
nell  Bay,  carrying  with  him  many  presents  and  articles  of  provi- 
sions for  himself  and  wife,  given  by  Captain  B and  myself. 

Ugarng  also  went  away  well  loaded ;  and  Koodloo  and  his  family, 
Sharkey,  with  some  of  our  dogs,  and  one  or  two  other  persons, 
likewise  departed  for  the  same  place.  Sharkey  Wfs  to  come  back 
soon  with  the  dogs,  which  were  only  loaned  to  hiai  for  the  occa- 
sion. Koojcssc,  Johnny  Bull,  Kokerzhun,  and  all  the  natives  that 
were  about  the  ship  on  my  arrival,  or  who  came  over  soon  after- 
ward from  Frobishcr  Bay,  evinced  their  joy  at  my  return  in  a 
way  that  much  pleased  me,  and  showed  that  I  had  a  hold  of  no 
slight  nature  upon  their  affocfJoi  ^>. 

Thus  two  or  throe  days  passed  away  while  preparations  were 
being  made  by  the  shiji's  company  for  their  spring  whaling,  and 
by  myself  for  another  excursion,  previous  to  making  an  effort  to- 
ward proceeding  on  the  main  object  of  my  voyage. 

While  thus  occupied,  an  incident  occurred  that,  when  related, 
as  here,  from  notes  taken  at  the  time  and  from  facts  wcll-attcstcd, 
may  perhaps,  by  some  of  my  readers,  be  deemed  almost  incredi- 
ble.   But  precisely  as  it  took  place,  just  so  I  narrate  it. 

About  9  A.M.  of  March  the  4th,  the  Innuit  Charley,  then  on 
deck,  reported  reindeer  in  sight  upon  the  ice.  This  immediately 
caused  much  excitement,  and,  from  captain  to  cabin-boy,  the  cry 
ran  through  the  sliip,  "  Tuktoo  I  Tuktoo  I"  Of  course  wc  werf 
now  all  but  certain  we  should  get  a  taste  of  north  country  venison, 
for  there  were  numbers  of  us  to  give  chase  and  insure  a  capture. 
Gruns  were  charged,  and  a  whole  party  were  going  off  to  the  hunt, 
when  it  occurred  to  the  more  knowing  ones  that  it  would  be  wise 
to  let  Koojesse,  who  offered  himself,  proceed  alone,  taking  with 
him  only  the  rifle  which  I  put  in  his  hands.  The  wind,  which 
was  blowing  from  the  north,  placed  the  herd  on  the  windward 
side  of  him,  thus  making  his  chance  more  favorable  on  account 
of  the  deer  being  unable  so  readily  to  "  scent"  the  foe. 

As  Koojesse  cautiously  proceeded,  we  all  watched  him  most 
eagerly.  Fifteen  minutes  saw  him  "breasted"  by  a  small  island 
toward  which  the  deer  approached.  When  they  were  within 
rifle  shot  he  fired,  but  evidently  missed,  for  the  game  wheeled 
round  and  darted  away. 

Directly  the  report  was  heard,  Barhekarh,  my  Greenland  dog, 


REINDEER  HUNT.  221 

bounded  off  toward  the  battle-ground,  followed  by  all  the  other 
dogs.  This  was  annoying,  as  it  threatened  to  put  an  end  to  any 
more  firing  at  the  game ;  and  if  they  would  have  heeded  us,  we 
should  have  instantly  recalled  them.  But  it  was  now  useless. 
The  dogs  were  in  full  chase,  and  fears  were  entertained  that  if 
they  got  too  far  away,  some,  if  not  all  of  them,  would  be  lost.  At 
length  wo  saw  Barbekark  pursuing — not  in  the  deer  trades,  cir- 
cuitous, flexuous,  mazy  in  course,  but — in  a,  direct  line,  thus  evin- 
cing a  sagacity  most  remarkable.  The  other  dogs,  not  taking  the 
same  course,  soon  fell  behind. 

On  and  on  went  Barbekark,  straight  for  a  spot  which  brought 
him  close  upon  the  deer.  The  latter  immediately  changed  their 
course,  and  so  did  Barbekark,  hot  in  pursuit  after  them.  Thus  it 
continued  for  near  two  hours ;  first  this  way,  then  that ;  now  in 
a  circle,  then  zigzag ;  now  direct,  then  at  right  angles,  among  the 
numerous  islands  at  the  head  of  the  bay. 

For  a  while  nothing  more  was  thought  of  the  affair,  save  an  ex- 
pression of  regret  that  the  dogs  would  not  be  able  to  find  their 
way  home,  so  fiir  had  they  been  led  by  the  enticing  game. 

A  little  before  twelve,  midday,  Barbekark  was  seen  coming 
back,  and  presently  he  came  on  board,  with  blood  around  his 
mouth  and  over  his  body.  No  importance  was  attached  to  this 
beyond  supposing  that  he  had  come  into  collision  with  the  deer ; 
but  as  for  killing  one,  the  thought  was  not  entertained  for  a  mo- 
ment. Those  who  had  often  wintered  in  the  arctic  regions  said 
they  had  never  known  a  dog  to  be  of  any  use  in  hunting  down 
deer,  and  therefore  we  concluded  that  our  game  was  gone.  But 
there  was  something  in  the  conduct  of  Barbekark  that  induced  a 
few  of  the  men  to  think  it  possible  he  had  been  successful.  lie 
was  fidgety,  and  restlessly  bent  upon  drawing  attention  to  the 
quarter  where  ho  had  been  chasing. 

lie  kept  whining,  and  going  first  to  one  and  then  another,  as  if 
asking  them  to  do  something  he  wanted.  The  captain  even  no- 
ticed him  jumping  about,  and  playing  unusual  pranks;  running 
toward  the  gangway  steps,  then  back  again.  This  he  did  several 
times,  but  still  no  one  gave  him  more  than  a  passing  notice.  He 
went  to  Keeney  and  tried  to  enlist  his  attention,  which  at  last  he 
did  so  tar  as  to  make  him  come  down  to  me  (I  was  writing  in  my 
cabin  at  the  time)  and  mention  it;  but  I  gave  no  heed,  being  so 
much  occupied  with  my  work.  Perhapl,  had  Barbekark  found 
me,  I  should  have  comprehended  his  actions.    As  it  was,  he  failed 


222  ARCT'.C  RESEAnCII  EXPEDITION. 

to  convoy  his  meaning  to  any  body.  Presently  one  of  tlin  men, 
called  "  Spikes,"  went  oft'  to  the  wreck  of  the  Jicsciic,  and  Barbc- 
kark  immediately  followed;  but,  seeing  that  Spikes  went  no  far- 
ther, the  dog  bounded  off  to  the  northwest,  and  then  Spikes  con- 
cluded that  it  was  really  possible  Barbekark  had  killed  the  deer. 
Accordingly,  he  returned  on  board,  and  a  party  of  the  shijj's  crew 
started  to  see  about  it,  though  the  weather  was  very  cold  and  in- 
clement. They  were  away  two  hours;  and  when  they  came 
back,  wo  could  observe  that  each  was  carrying  something  like  a 
heavy  bundle  on  his  head.  Still  we  could  not  believe  it  possible 
that  it  was  portions  of  the  deer ;  and  only  when  they  came  so 
near  that  the  strange  fact  was  perceptible  could  we  credit  our 
senses.  One  man,  almost  Ilcreulcs  like,  had  tlie  skin  wrapped 
around  him,  another  had  half  of  the  saddle,  a  third  the  other  half, 
and  the  rest  each  some  portion  of  the  deer  that  wc  had  all  espe- 
cially noticed.  In  a  short  time  they  were  on  board,  and  depos- 
ited their  loads  triumphantly  on  the  scuttle-door  leading  to  the 
cooking  department  below. 

Every  ollicer  and  man  of  the  ship,  all  the  Innuits  and  Innuit 
dogs,  then  congregated  around  the  tempting  pile  of  delicious  fresh 
meat,  the  trophy,  as  it  really  proved,  of  my  fine  Greenland  dog 
Barbekark.  The  universal  astonishment  was  so  great  that  hard- 
ly a  man  of  us  knew  what  to  say.  At  length  we  heard  the  facts 
as  follows : 

Our  men  had  followed  Barbekark's  return  tracks  for  about  a 
mile  from  the  vessel,  in  a  direct  line  northward  ;  thence  westward 
some  two  miles  farther  to  an  island,  where,  to  their  Surprise,  they 
found  Barbekark  and  the  other  Greenland  dogs  seated  upon  their 
haunches  around  the  deer  lying  dead  before  them. 

On  examination,  its  throat  was  shown  to  be  cut  with  Barbe- 
kark's teeth  as  effectually  as  if  any  white  man  or  Innuit  had  done 
it  with  a  knife.  The  windpipe  and  Jugular  vein  had  both  been 
severed ;  more,  a  piece  of  each,  with  part  of  the  roots  of  the 
tongue,  the  skin  and  flesh  covering  the  same,  had  actually  been 
bitten  out.  The  moment  "  Sam,"  one  of  the  men  in  advance  of 
the  rest,  approached,  Barbekark  jumped  from  his  watchful  posi- 
tion close  by  the  head  of  his  victim  and  ran  to  meet  him,  with 
manifestations  of  delight,  wagging  his  tail  and  swinging  his  head 
about.  At  the  same  time  he  looked  up  into  Sam's  eyes  as  if  say- 
ing, "I've  done  the  belt  I  could;  I've  killed  the  deer,  eaten  just 
one  luscious  mouthful,  and  la})ped  up  some  of  the  blood.     I  now 


DOG  DARBEKARK  KILLS  THE  DEER. 


228 


give  up  what  you  sec,  merely  askyig  for  myself  and  tlicse  my 
companions,  who  have  been  faithfully  guarding  the  prize,  such 
portions  as  yourselves  may  disdairi !" 

The  snow  around  the  spot  showed  that  a  terrible  fight  had  tak- 
en })laco  before  the  deer  gave  up  its  life.  Somehow  during  the 
struggle  one  of  the  deer's  hind  legs  had  got  broken ;  and  when 
our  men  arrived  at  the  spot,  several  crows  were  there  picking 
away  at  the  carcass.  But  Barbekark  and  the  crow  family  were 
always  on  good  terms,  and  probably  this  was  the  reason  why  he 
did  not  drive  them  away,  for  sometimes  they  rested  upon  his 
back. 


■■'■iM 


UAU-UE-KARK  KIIXINU  TUG  BEIMDEKB. 


As  soon  as  our  men  had  reached  the  dead  deer  and  found  it 
ready  for  them,  they  skinned  it,  and  then  cut  it  in  pieces  for  car- 
rying on  board.  They  regretted  that  no  harnesses  were  at  hand, 
so  that  they  might  have  had  the  dogs — Barbekark  at  the  head  as 
conqueror — drag  the  whole  carcass  to  the  ship.  As  soon  as  the 
prize  was  on  board,  it  was  fairly  distributed  among  the  ship's 
company  fore  and  aft,  and  my  brave  dog  was  greeted  with  many 
a  word  of  praise  for  his  remarkable  hunting  feat ! 

In  afterward  dressing  tUc  deerskin,  it  was  seen  that  the  ball 


2iii  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION, 

from  my  rifle,  fired  by  Koojesse,  had  really  taken  effect.  It  was 
found  in  a  piece  of  the  flesh  still  adhering  to  the  skin,  at  that  part 
which  covered  the  hip.  The  ball  had  gone  through  the  skin,  and 
was  flattened  by  striking  the  bone.  I  have  that  ball,  and  keep  it 
as  a  memento  of  this  remarkable  affair. 

In  referring  to  this  incident  a  day  or  two  afterward.  Captain 
B said  to  the  men,  "  Boys,  who  at  home,  think  you,  will  be- 
lieve that  affair  of  Barbekark's  and  the  deer-hunt,  with  what  fol- 
lowed ?"  The  general  reply  was,  "  Not  one  in  a  thousand  will  be- 
lieve it."  "In  fact,"  added  the  captain,  "/can  hardly  believe  it 
even  now,  though  it  was  so."  And  thus  may  many  others  say ; 
yet  the  facts  are  precisely  as  I  have  related  them,  and  they  are 
evidence  of  the  keen  sagacity  and  almost  human  intelligence,  al- 
lied to  great  bravery,  of  my  faithful  Greenland  dog  Barbekark. 

On  the  oth  of  March  Sharhey  returned  from  Cornelius  Grinnell 
Bay.  He  was  accompanied  by  one  of  the  angeko's  wives,  and 
brought  us  information  of  all  my  Innuit  friends,  and  also  of  Ni- 
kiijar^s  death,  which  occurred  about  two  or  three  days  after  I  had 
left. 

I  have  before  mentioned  that  this  woman,  Nikujar,  was  the 
family  wife  No.  1  of  Ugarng,  and  had  formerly  been  the  wife  of 
Blind  George.  Indeed,  until  he  became  blind,  she  was  to  him  a 
liappy  and  loving  partner,  giving  him  the  one  child,  Kookooyer, 
he  now  so  much  doted  upon ;  but  when  the  curtains  of  an  end- 
less night  were  drawn  over  him,  he  lost  her.  She  consented  to 
become  the  wife  of  Ugarng,  leaving  the  noble-hearted  but  now 
blind  "  eagle"  to  be  alone. 

By  Ugarng  Nikujar  had  another  child,  Mc-noun,  but  she  was 
always  wishing  +.0  have  her  first  one,  Kookooyer,  with  her. 
Thus  it  was  that  I  so  often  saw  the  girl  in  Ugarng's  home  instead 
of  with  her  own  father.  Nikujar,  however,  did  not  get  on  quite 
so  well  as  she  had  expected.  Ugarng's  second  wife,  Kunniu, 
seemed  to  be  his  favorite,  probably  on  account  of  her  being  so 
serviceable  to  him  in  hunting  and  sealing ;  and  Nikujar  had  fre- 
quently to  remain  by  herself,  or  with  wife  No.  3,  to  take  care  of 
their  home.  Disease  also  laid  hold  of  her.  She  was  sick  when  I 
first  saw  her,  and  consumption  had  sown  the  seeds  of  death  in  her 
frame.  Gradually  she  wasted  away,  and  during  my  sojourn  at 
the  igloo  village  it  was  evident  to  me  she  could  not  long  survive. 
It  was  therefore  no  surprise  when  I  heard  of  her  decease.  To 
Blind  George,  however,  who  was  on  board  when  the  news  arrived. 


A  MAN  LOST,  AND  FOUND  FROZEN  DEAD.  225 

the  intelligence  was  a.  heavy  blow.  Notwithstanding  her  faith- 
lessness, he  had  always  retained  his  original  love  for  the  mother 
of  their  dear  child ;  and  when  he  heard  she  was  no  more,  he  went 
and  hid  himself,  that  he  might  mourn  without  restraint.  When 
I  sought  him  out,  I  found  he  was  giving  way  to  almost  uncon- 
trollable grief,  his  eyes  streaming  with  tears,  and  his  lamentations 
loud  and  painful  to  hear.  I  tried  to  comfort  him,  and  by  sooth- 
ing words  direct  his  thoughts  upward,  where  the  best  consolation 
is  ever  found. 

At  thic  time  a  very  serious  event  occurred,  the  narrative  of 
which  I  here  transcribe  from  my  diary : 

"  Sunday,  March  17th,  18C1, 11  o'clock,  night. 

"A  man  lost!     The  man  found — dead  ! !  frozen  to  deatli ! ! ! 

"I  am  too  fatigued,  my  mind  too  overwhelmed  with  the  dread- 
ful incidents  of  the  day,  to  make  record  of  what  belongs  to  this 
day's  journal.     I  leave  all  for  the  morrow,  after  having  said, 

"  Peace  to  the  soul  of  John  Brown,  one  of  the  men  of  the 
George  Henry  T 

"Monday,  March  18th,  1861. 

"  I  now  resume  the  painful  record  of  the  subject  foreshadowed 
in  the  few  words  of  my  last  night's  penning. 

"  Turning  back  to  the  record  of  last  Tuesday  (I  refer  to  my 
MS.  journal  book),  it  will  be  seen  that  two  of  the  George  Ilennjs 
men,  John  Brown  (who  now  sleeps  in  death)  and  James  Bruce, 
both  afflicted  with  scurvy,  were  sent  to  Oopungnewing,  in  Fro- 
bisher  Bay,  distmt  by  slcdge-route  s.-venteen  nautical  miles,  for 
the  purpose  of  having  them  stay  with  the  Innuits  for  a  while,  liv- 
ing exclusively  upon  fresii  meat,  walrus  and  seal.  They  accom- 
panied, as   there   stated,  the  Innuit  "Bob"  (King-wat-che-ung), 

with  whom  Chptain  B made  distinct  arrangements  to  care 

for  them,  providing  for  all  their  necessities.  This  Innuit  Bob  has 
a  noble  soul,  one  that  prompts  him  to  nolle  deeds,  continually  out- 
pouring in  behalf  of  the  poor,  the  friendless,  the  unfortunate,  and 
.the  sick.  lie  is  the  one  to  whom  Captain  B feels  himself  in- 
debted for  saving  his  life  in  the  disastrous  winter  here  of  1855-6, 

when  he  (Captain  B )  lost  thirteen  of  the  crew  of  his  vessel — 

the  Oeorgiana — by  scurvy. 

"On  Friday  last,  March  15th, by  the  journal  ^ly  MS.  journal), 
it  will  also  be  seen  that  Koojesse  and  Charley  (Koo-per-ne-ung) 
went  over  to  the  Innuit  settlements  at  Frobisher  Bay  with  the 
dogs  and  sledge,  for  the  object  of  trafficking  for  walrus  tusks  and 

P 


226  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

meat.  It  was  expected  that  they  would  return  by  the  evening 
of  the  same  day,  but  the  inclement  weather  that  succeeded  their 
starting  out,  the  gale  of  the  night  and  next  day,  prevented  their 
return  till  twelve  meridian  of  Saturday,  at  which  hour  they 
started. 

"John  Brown  and  James  Bruce,  feeling  so  much  relieved  of  their 
complaint,  they  prepared  themselves  to  return  with  Koojesse  and 
Charley.  While  the  load  of  walrus  skins,  walrus  meat,  etc.,  was 
being  lashed  to  the  sledge  by  the  two  Innuits,  Brown  and  Bruce 
started  on  together.  They  had  not  proceeded  more  than  half  a 
mile  when  Bruce  proposed  that  they  should  return,  delaying  their 
journey  to  another  day,  as  the  wind  was  blowing  strong  and  cold; 
the  indications  of  the  weather  being  otherwise  unpropitious.  To 
this  proposal  Brown  objected.  Bruce  declared  they  would  be 
frozen  before  they  could  reacn  the  vessel,  and  this  being  his  hon- 
est conviction,  he  not  only  decided  to  go  back  to  the  igloo  they 
had  just  left,  but  strenuously  exerted  himself  to  induce  Brown  to 
do  likewise.  The  last  words  of  this  unfortunate  young  man  to 
his  companion  (Bruce)  were,  'I'm  going  on  ;  for,  by  G — ,  I'm  de- 
termined to  have  my  dulf  and  apple-sauce*  at  to-morrow's  dinner.' 

"Bruce  returned  to  Bob's  igloo,  taking  from  the  sledge  his  sleep- 
ing blankets.  Brown  finally  retraced  his  steps  until  he  met  the 
sledge  party,  which  he  joined,  continuing  his  journey  homeward 
to  the  vessel.  The  sledge  was  heavily  loaded,  so  that  their  prog- 
ress was  very  slow.  Having  proceeded  some  seven  miles,  hum- 
mocky  ice  obliged  Charley  and  Koojesse  to  leave  the  greater  part 
of  the  load.  To  unload  and  make  a  deposit  under  piles  of  ice 
was  a  work  of  time.  Brown  was  anxious  to  proceed  without  the 
tlelay  requisite  to  make  the  cache.  He  made  known  his  determin- 
ation to  proceed  alone.  The  two  Innuits,  who  foresaw  the  dan- 
gers to  which  Brown  was  about  to  expose  himself,  advised  that  he 
should  wait  for  them.  All  that  these  experienced,  storm-and-cold- 
proof  men  of  the  North  could  say  i'  warning  him  did  not  suffice 
to  cool  the  ardent  desire  of  Brown  to  join  as  early  as  possible  his. 
cheer  companions  at  the  Georric.  Henry. 

"  Seeing  that  Brown  was  about  to  take  his  departure,  Koojesse 
and  Charley  persuaded  him  to  take  along  one  of  the  dogs,  that  it 
« 

♦  Sunday  is  duflF-djiy  with  the  forward  hnnds.  "Duff"  is  a  favorite  dish  with  them, 
and  also,  I  may  say,  with  the  officers  and  nil  in  the  steerage.  Tiie  " a])plo-sauce"  re- 
ferred to  in  Brown's  remark  is  explained  hy  tlie  fact  that  dried  apples  arc  incorpo- 
rated in  the  "dulF." 


A  SICK  MAN'S  OBSTINACY,  227 

raigbt  guide  him  in  the  direct  route  to  the  ship.  Koojesse  disen- 
gaging,the  single  trace  from  the  ^eto,*  the  same  was  passed  to 
Brown's  hand.  Thus  he  had  a  guide,  a  leader  in  harness,  whose 
instinct  was  truer  than  that  of  any  man,  with  all  his  boasted  in- 
telligence. But  this  dog  Brown  exchanged  for  a  younger  one  un- 
used to  the  route.  With  heart  bounding  with  hopeful  throbbings 
that  he  would  soon  be  among  his  home  companions  —  that  he 
would  soon  be  participating  in  the  longed-for  food  of  civilization 
(for  which  he  had  acquired  a  hundred-fold  stronger  desire  than  he 
ever  had  before,  in  the  course  of  his  brief  stay  among  the  Innuits, 
whose  almost  sole  living  is  fresh  animal  food),  Brown  started  on, 
traveling  with  vigorous  step  the  rough  ice-road  before  him.  Long 
before  the  safe  ice-covering  had  been  made  over  the  meat  deposit, 
Brown  was  out  of  sight  of  Koojesse  and  Charley. 

"  A  few  minutes  after  twelve  o'clock  that  night  (Saturday)  I 
retired.  A  little  later,  I  heard  first  the  cry  of  the  dogs ;  then  the 
loud,  peculiar,  and  unmistakable  voice  of  the  Innuit  dog-driver; 
and  then  the  musical  sledge,  whose  glassy  bone-shoeing  rung  to 
the  music  of  the  snows. 

"  Previous  to  my  turning  in,  all  hands  had  retired.  No  one 
was  up  to  learn  the  news  from  Frobisher  Bay  settlements. 

"  The  sledge  was  driven  up  alongside  of  the  George  Ilcnry ;  the 
dogs  were  quickly  unharnessed ;  the  small  portion  of  the  original 
load  was  placed  on  deck,  out  of  reach  of  the  dogs,  Charley  de- 
parting for  his  igloo  near  the  st^n  of  the  vessel ;  while  Koojesse 
(whoso  winter  quarters  are  with  us)  hastened  in,  divesting  him- 
self of  his  dress,  and  placing  himself  alongside  of  his  warm  sleep- 
ing nuliana,  Tu-nuk-der-lien,  who  had  retired  hours  before  I  did 
to  the  usual  place  of  their  tuktoo  bed,  close  beside  the  door  of 
my*sleeping  apartment.  A  few  moments  fouud  the  weary  In- 
nuit, my  friend  Koojesse,  in  the  arms  of  sleep.  The  sleep  of  a 
tired  Innuit  is  usually  accompanied  with  loud  nasal  sounds. 

"  My  lateness  in  retiring  on  Saturday  night,  my  unquiet  sleep, 
made  me  a  later  riser  on  the  following  glorious  day  of  days — 
the  Sabbath. 

"  Breakfast  hour  with  us  is  eight  o'clock.  I  was  up  and  dress- 
ed only  half  an  liour  in  advance.  What  was  the  first  news  that 
awaited  me?  That  one  of  my  '  Greenlanders'  had  been  outrage- 
ously mutilated  by  some  Innuit,  who  had  cut  clean  off  the  ani- 

*  Tlie  .i/iort  line  that  connects  nil  the  drnught  lines  or  traces  of  the  dogs  to  the 
runners  of  the  sledge. 


228  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

mal's  left  ear.  '  King-ok,'  a  fine  dog,  was  the  subject  of  this  wick- 
ed act.  King-ok's  offense  was  biting  harnesses.  As  I  have  said 
before  in  my  journal,  let  a  dog  offend  an  Innuit,  and  woe  be  to 
the  dog!  Any  instrument  at  hand  is  used  in  administering  pun- 
ishment. In  this  case  a  snow-knife  was  seized,  and  my  noble  dog 
King-ok  became  the  terrible  sufferer  of  an  ungoverned  passion. 

"  I  had  allowed  my  six  dogs,  in  order  to  complete  the  team  of 
twelve,  to  be  used  in  making  this  Frobisher  Bay  trip  for  the  ad- 
vancement of-the  George  Henry's  interests.    Captain  B burned 

with  laudable  indignation  on  learning  the  sad  condition  of  my 
dog.  What  astounded  me,  and  every  one  of  the  ship's  company, 
was  the  discovery  of  the  fact  that  Koojesse  was  the  Innuit  who 
committed  this  brutal  deed.  Ilis  only  excuse  was  that  his  com- 
panion Cliarley  had  first  severed  the  ear  of  his  dog,  and  lie  (Koo- 
jesse) tliought  he  must  do  the  same  to  my  dog. 

"But  what  of  this — cruel  and  savage  though  these  two  acts 
were — compared  with  the  terrible  story  I  am  yet  to  relate  ? 

"  Yesterday  morning,  after  breakfost,  I  went  upon  deck,  and 
there  met  Ad  Bailey,  who  said  to  mt,  standing  by  the  gangway, 
'  Charley  has  just  told  me  that  the  Frenchman,  John  Brown,  start- 
ed from  the  igloos  of  Frobisher  Bay  with  them  (Koojesse  and 
Charley);  that  he.  Brown,  finally  left  them,  and  came  on  ahead; 
that  they  saw  nothing  more  of  Brown ;  but,  as  they  passed  from 
the  land  on  to  the  ice  of  Field  Bay,  this  side,  saw  his  tracks,  and 
wished  to  know  of  Bailey  what  ^le  Brown  arrived  at  the  vessel.' 

"  Bailey  had  just  ascertained  from  the  hands  forward  where 
Brown  belon^-red  that  he  had  not  arrived!  At  once,  under  a  pain- 
ful apprehensiOP.  of  the  real  state  of  the  case,  I  rushed  down  into 
the  cabin,  made  my  way  to  the  captain's  room,  where  I  found  him 
preparing  for  his  usual  deck-walk,  and  announced  to  him  the  Tacts 
I  had  just  learned,  telling  him  of  my  immediate  readiness  to  go  in 
.search  of  him  who  I  knew  must  be  lost,  suffering,  or — as  I  feared 
from  the  cold  of  the  night  (57°  below  the  freezing  point) — a  dead 

man.     Captain  B instantly  went  forward,  and  learned  that 

what  I  had  told  him  was  too  true — that  Brown  had  not  arrived. 
Only  a  bundle  of  blankets  and  fresh  walrus  meat  was  there,  just 
brought  in  by  Charley,  the  same  having  been  placed  on  the  sledge 

by  Brown  on  the  point  of  starting  home.    Captain  B ordered 

Brown's  ship  companions  to  go  in  immediate  search.     This  wa.s 

responded  to  cheerfully,  of  course.     Captain  B returned  to 

the  aft  cabin,  and  told  me  that  parties  were  getting  ready  to  move. 


THE  SEARCH  FOR  BROWN.  229 

As  fast  as  I  could,  I  made  the  exchange  of  civilization  dress  for 
ray  Innuit  costume.  With  my  marine  glass  and  compass  in  hand, 
I  made  my  way  on  deck.  A  company  of  ten  men  met  me  there, 
prepared  for  the  dangerous  work  before  us.  The  thought  occur- 
red to  me  that  we  should  take  along  with  us  one  of  the  Innuits 
of  the  sledge  party  which  came  in  on  Saturday  night,  either  Koo- 
jesse  or  Charley.  Seeing  the  former  on  deck,  I  asked  him  to  ac- 
company us.  lie  quickly  joined  in.  Our  first  work  was  to  go 
to  the  spot  where  the  tracks  of  poor  Brown  were  seen  as  reported. 

"  We  set  out  at  8  20  A.M.,  taking  a  true  W.N.W.  course. 
Our  movements  were  rapid,  impelled  by  the  feeling  that  incited 
all  hearts  with  the  hope  we  might  be  in  time  to  save  human  life. 
It  was  only  occasionally  that  we  walked — ive  ran!  I  felt,  oh! 
that  we  had  wings,  and  could  determine  these  anxious  fears  and 
doubts  in  a  few  moments,  instead  of  waiting  the  hours  that  it  will 
require  to  settle  them !  Koojesse  and  Sam,  both  great  travelers, 
were  for  pressing  on  wfth  all  their  immediate  strength.  I  knew 
this  would  not  do ;  that  by  this  course  they  would  not  only  sac- 
rifice their  own  important  services  for  a  long  search,  which  evi- 
dently it  would  be,  but  also  those  of  all  the  other  men.  I  there- 
fore repeatedly  cautioned  them  to  do  only  as  they  and  all  of  us 
could  also  do  and  hold  out.  But  neither  reason  nor  a  prudent 
foresight  of  the  prolonged  hours  which  would  be  required  in  this 
painful  service  could  stay  them.  One  after  another  of  our  com- 
pany fell  back.  PJre  we  came  within  t^'o  miles  of  the  tracks, 
even  Koojesse  gave  out.  He  was  obliged  to  move  with  slow 
steps  from  his  overexertion.  The  sequel  will  show  the  wisdom 
of  my  advice,  which  was  finally  acknowledged  by  all,  even  Sam. 
I  m...j  as  well  state  here  that,  after  proceeding  three  miles  from 
the  vessel,  I  saw,  away  in  the  distance,  objects  that  appeared  mov- 
ing. I  called  attention  to  them.  Then  I  first  learned  that  a  par- 
ty of  five  had  preceded  us  in  this  search.  Though  they  had  fif- 
teen minutes'  start  of  us,  we  were  soon  up  with  them. 

"  When  we  came  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  land,  the 
tracks  of  poor  Brown  were  found  by  Koojesse,*who  had  seen  the 
same  but  a  few  hours  before.  The  distance  made  from  the  ship 
was  full  six  geographic  or  sea  miles  in  one  hour  and  forty-two 
minutes,  the  party  arriving  at  the  tracks  at  10  10  A.M.  Only 
four  out  of  the  ten  accomplished  this,  myself  of  the  number  that 
did.  I  could  not  be  in  the  rear,  injudicious  as  I  knew  to  be  the 
overexertion  that  we  were  making. 


280  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

"  Soon  as  we  struck  upon  the  almost  obliterated  footprints  of 
the  lost  one,  our  movements  were  even  quickened.  Yet  the 
tracks  led,  for  more  than  a  mile,  in  a  direct  course  to  the  vessel, 
and  but  a  few  steps  southward  of  our  way  up.  I  have  written,  a 
few  lines  preceding  this,  the  words,  '  the  almost  obliterated  foot- 
prints of  the  lost  one.'  By  reference  to  my  journal  (MS.  journal) 
of  last  night,  I  see  that  I  there  noted  the  following  phenomenon, 
viz.,  '  Showers  of  snow  while  the  heavens  are  clear.  Stars  shin- 
ing brightly.'  At  midnight,  the  time  of  my  last  visit  to  the  deck, 
I  wrote  this,  though  a  previous  record  had  been  made  of  the  same 
phenomenon  taking  place  as  early  as  9  P.M. 

"  '  Twelve,  midnight,  stars  shining ;  all  clear  over  the  whole 
expanse,  yet  snowing  1     Thermometer  —12°.' 

"This  accounted  for  the  filling  up  of  the  tracks.  Besides,  the 
light  wind  of  this  morning  tiad  swept  the  beautiful  fine  snow- 
crystals  into  them. 

"  We  followed  on  hopefully,  some  of  our  number  even  saying, 
'  It  may  be  we  shall  find  John  has  arrived  at  the  vessel  ahead  of 
us.'    Oh  that  it  had  proved  so ! 

"  The  course  of  Brown  was  so  near  ours  outward  that  those 
who  had  fallen  behind  had  but  to  turn  a  little  southward  to  reach 
it.  Hence  those  who  were  last  became  first  in  the  search.  The 
upper  part  of  Field  Bay  is  studded  with  islets.  To  one  of  these 
his  footprints  were  directed.  At  length  they  turned  around  its 
southwestern  side,  where  he  met  with  hummocks  that  obstructed 
his  course.  Still  farther  south  he  bent  his  steps  to  get  around 
them.  Each  of  these  turns  had  a  tendency  to  throw  him  out  of 
the  true  course  to  the  ship,  which  at  first  he  evidently  had  in 
mind. 

"  One  of  the  men,  finding  a  place  among  the  ice  to  which  Brown 
had  turned  in,  actually  exclaimed, '  Here  he  is !'  But  his  out- 
ward steps  were  soon  traced,  so  that  this  gleam  was  soon  over- 
shadowed. 

"  Getting  out  again  in  full  view  of  the  bay,  Brown  nearly  re- 
gained his  original  course.  Following  this  a  while,  he  again  de- 
viates. Now  our  hearts  are  cheered  again,  for  he  takes  a  proper 
course ;  another  minute  and  we  are  sad — he  diverges.  After 
having  taken  a  wrong  course,  which  overwhelmed  all  with  sor- 
row as  we  followed  it  for  seven  minutes,  he  suddenly  turned  north- 
erly toward  a  magnificently-pinnacled  iceberg  that  is  ice-locked 
away  up  the  bay.    This  we  thought  he  had  recognized,  and  that. 


THE  SEARCH  CONTINUED.  231 

on  reaching  it,  he  would  then  know  where  he  should  direct  his 
steps.  But,  alas  I  too  soon  he  turns  in  another — a  wrong  direc- 
tion. 

*'  His  tracks  by  eleven  o'clock  A.M.  showed  that  he  was  lost. 
Up  to  this  hour  it  was  evident  to  us  that  John  had  in  mind  near- 
ly the  proper  direction  in  which  the  harbor  of  the  vessel  lay.  It 
is  true  that  now  and  then  his  tracks  led  in  a  direction  that  indi- 
cated doubt,  but  mainly  otherwise.  When  John  Brown  first 
made  Field  Bay,  passing  from  the  land  over  which  he  had  just 
come  from  Frobisher  Bay,  it  must  have  been  nine  o'clock  last 
night,  lie  could  have  been  but  a  little  in  advance  of  the  sledge 
party  he  had  left  in  Frobisher  Bay.  Hence  it  was  not  by  daylight 
that  "he  was  struggling  to  reach  the  vessel;  for,  not  being  used  to 
traveling  alone,  nor  familiar  with  the  route,  and  it  being  by  night 
he  was  traveling,  no  wonder  at  his  deviations  as  indicated  to  us 
up  to  the  hour  I  have  named,  to  wit,  eleven  o'clock  A.M.  But 
at  this  hour  I  exclaimed,  ^ See!  see!  he  loho  made  those  tracks  was 
lostj  They  were  tortuous,  zigzag,  circular,  this  way  and  that — 
every  way  but  the  right  way. 

"At  length  John  took  a  course  S.S.W.,  leading  him  obliquely 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay  from  where  the  vessel  lay.  How 
our  hearts  ached  at  this.  Making,  finally,  a  large  circular  sweep 
— having  perhaps  seen  the  dark,  black,  buttress-like  mountains  be- 
fore him,  which  he  must  have  known  were  not  on  the  side  of  the 
bay  he  wished  to  make — he  then  took  a  S.S.E.  course,  which  was 
the  proper  one,  had  he  not  been  making  the  southing  which  he 
had.  But  this  he  did  not  long  follow.  Another  and  another 
bend  in  his  steps,  all  leading  him  out  of  the  way. 

"I  here  state  that,  in  following  the  tortuous  tracks  leading 
southwesterly,  Sam  Wilson  and  Morgan  continued  a  direct  course 
southeast.  Soon  the  alarm  was  raised  that  Sam  and  Morgan  had 
sighted  the  object  of  our  search.  We  looked  in  that  direction,  and 
concluded  they  had,  for  they  were  under  a  full  run.  A  piece  of 
dark-colored  ice,  raised  up  from  the  main,  had,  however,  deceived 
them. 

"  On,  on  we  followed  the  steps  of  the  lost  for  miles,  leading  gen- 
erally southeast. 

"  Some  distance  ahead  of  me  and  William  Johnston  were  Mor- 
gan, Sam  Wilson,  and  '  Fluker.'     I  felt  that  I  was  acting  the  ju-t 
dicious  part,  and  therefore  kept  up  a  rapid  walk — a  gait  that  I 
could  sustain  for  hours.     Occasionally  I  cast  my  eyes  back. 


232  ARCTIC  UESEAKCII  EXPEDITION. 

Groups  were  still  following  after,  some  of  them  far  behind.  At 
12  o'clock  M.  I  was  pained  to  see  that  all  in  our  rear  had  become 
exhausted,  and  were  dii'ectitig  their  steps  toward  the  vessel.  Out 
of  twenty  men  in  uU  who  left  the  ship,  but  five  of  us  now  contin- 
ued the  search. 

"I  must  confess  that  the  race  of  the  morning  had  seriously  ex- 
hausted my  strength.  Nothing  but  the  hope  of  saving  human 
life  could  have  induced  me  to  take  another  step  at  twelve.  B}- 
occasional  rests,  myself  and  my  companion  were  reinvigorated. 
By  this  prudence,  and  that  of  avoiding  farther  overexertion  in 
running,  we  found  that  we  were  fast  gaining  upon  the  three  ahead 
of  us. 

"  Thirst — burning  thirst  continually  harassed  me.  Seeing  an 
iceberg  at  our  right,  we  turned  to  it.  Seating  ourselves  by  it, 
with  our  knives  we  chipped  off  piece  after  piece,  with  which  oui- 
thirst  was  partially  allayed.  The  first  piece  which  I  put  into  my 
mouth  froze  it  fast.  Tongue,  palate,  and  lips  refused  farther 
service  until  the  ice  became  of  freezing  water  temperature.  The 
cause  of  this  of  course  was  that  the  ice  contained  a  degree  of  cold- 
ness even  far  lower  than  the  temperature  of  the  air  then  around 
us.  The  air  at  twelve  and  one  o'clock  was  only  42°  below  freez- 
ing point,  while  the  berg  was  60° — that  is,  28°  below  zero.  I  took 
the  precaution  of  holding  succeeding  pieces  in  my  mittened  hand 
until  I  raised  their  temperature  to  near  freezing  point,  when  I 
could  with  perfect  safety  introduce  them  to  my  parched  tongue. 

"  By-the-by,  I  found  one  serious  obstacle  to  my  stopping  to 
rest.  Cramps  of  a  most  excruciating  character  in  the  calves  of 
my  legs  threatened  to  overpower  me.  After  1  o'clock  P  M.  I  suf- 
fered less  from  them.  This  grievous  affliction  arose,  undoubted- 
ly, from  the  overexertion  upon  our  setting  out. 

"At  1  o'clock  P.M.  I  and  William  Johnston  saw  the  three 
ahead  of  us  (Morgan,  Sam,  and  Fluker)  throw  themselves  flat  on 
the  ice.  By  this  we  knew  they  had  become  exhausted.  Fifteen 
minutes  later  found  us  with  them,  and  flat  beside  them.  Ob,  how 
glad  I  was  to  make  my  bed  for  a  while  upon  this  bosom  of  the 
deep !  how  refreshed  we  all  were  by  that  prostration  of  our  weary 
limbs !  While  we  were  resting,  Sam  exclaimed, '  Well,  come,  let 
us  eat  dinner;'  these  words  being  accompanied  by  the  act  of 
t  drawing  out  of  his  pocket  two  sea-biscuit.  One  of  the  other  men 
drew  out  another.  These  three  cakes  of  bread  made  us  a  feast, 
though  weighing  but  three  quarters  of  a  pound  total.     The  fore- 


SEAUCIIING-PAllTY  EXHAUSTED.— AUTIIOU  rEllSEVEllES.     233 

sight  that  could  make  this  provision  should  have  kept  in  reserve 
the  strength  which  the  exigencies  of  our  undertaking  required. 

'*  We  were  all  invigorated  by  the  repast,  and  by  resting,  though 
only  for  the  space  of  fifteen  minutes. 

"At  1  30  I'.M.  we  resumed  our  march.  We  were  now  on  dan- 
gerous ice,  near  the  mouth  of  Field  Bay,  the  tracks  of  the  lost  one 
still  leading  us  seaward.  A  heavy  sea  might  take  us  beyond  our 
power  to  return.  Every  one  felt  that  if  Brown  continued  the 
course  in  which  we  were  then  following  him,  he  raust  have  ar- 
rived at  a  point  where  he  had  been  carried  out  to  sea  on  some 
Hoe. 

"  Most  of  our  little  company  felt  that  they  could  not  go  farther, 
so  exhausted  were  they.  Sam  Wilson  was  the  first  of  the  five  to 
declare  he  would  not ;  he  said  hn  could  not  go  farther,  although 
he  was  one  of  the  forward  ones  of  the  morning.  Yet  he  did  con- 
tinue on  with  us  until  ten  minutes  past  two  P.M.  They  felt  they 
l)ad  tried  to  perform  their  duty.  This  was  a  terrible  blow  to  me. 
[  felt  that  I  could  not  give  it  up  so,  discouraging  as  was  my  con- 
dition. I  resolved  that,  so  long  as  God  should  spare  my  strength, 
I  would  follow  on  and  on ;  and,  knowing  the  risk,  I  did  not  feel 
that  I  could  take  the  responsibility  of  persuading  any  one  to  ac- 
company me.  Up  to  this  time  the  course  of  the  tracks  was  tor 
tuous — now  sweeping  almost  in  circles,  now  to  southeast,  now  to 
the  cast,  now  to  the  northeast,  now  to  the  south,  but  mainly  lead- 
ing to  the  open  sea,  far  to  the  east.  I  regretted  much  that  some 
one  of  us  had  not  thought  to  bring  along  a  snow-knife.  With 
this  simple  instrument  in  hand,  I  would  have  taken  the  responsi- 
bility of  inducing  some  one  to  continue  on  with  me.  With  this 
we  could  have  erected  an  igloo  for  the  night,  or  any  other  time, 
if  we  should  be  overtaken  by  a  gale  or  storm  before  our  return. 
Fifteen  minutes  after  two  P.M.  I  left  my  companions,  who  had 
resolved  to  return,  and  proceeded  on  ahne.  I  knew  God  would 
be  with  me  in  my  work.  I  had  not  proceeded  far  before  I  was 
overtaken  by  William  Johnston,  who  said, '  I  have  resolved  that 
I  will  accompany  you  rather  than  return  now.  •  I  do  not  feel  that 
I  have  more  than  strength  enough  left  than  would  enable  me  to 
return  to  the  vessel ;  but  I  may  feel  better  soon.  John  was  my 
shipmate,  and  I  loved  him.  I  shall  ever  regret,  perhaps,  if  I  re- 
turn now.' 

"As  we  passed  on  together,  we  were  soon  encouraged  by  find- 
ing the  tracks  bending  away  from  the>  direction  of  Davis's  Straits. 


234  AllCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Our  feelings  of  hope  were  soon  increased  filmost  to  those  of  joy, 
for  we  found  the  main  course  of  the  tracks  now  led  west,  as  if 
John  had  seen  the  mountains  westward,  and  to  them  was  attempt- 
ing to  make  his  way,  and  then  follow  them  up  to  the  point  where 
lie  left  the  land.  But  how  soon  was  this  cup  dashed  from  our 
hopeful  lips!  The  steps  of  the  lost  soon  circle  around  to  the 
southeast,  then  east,  carrying  us  back  again.  For  fifteen  minutes 
we  followed  a  true  course  west.  Hope  lifted  us  up  again,  and 
quickened  our  steps.  At  last  they  turned,  circling  to  the  south ; 
thence  around  all  the  points  of  the  compass,  crossing,  for  the  first 
time,  his  own  tracks.  This  occurred  one  hour  after  parting  com- 
pany with  our  men,  whom  wc  had  left  to  return.  Uaving  Ibllow- 
cd  his  footprints  around  this  circle  of  twenty  rods  radius,  in  less 
than  three  minutes  another  circle  occurs.  He  now  strikes  due 
north.  With  bounding,  almost  happy  hearts,  we  follow,  for  this 
course  leads  almost  directly  to  tlic  vessel.  The  channel  of  water 
leading  to  Bear  Sound  of  Frobishcr  was  only  ten  miles  due  south 
of  us.  This  place,  though  of  historical  and  geographical  interest 
to  me,  was  as  naught  in  the  work  I  was  now  performing. 

"But  how  oft  is  man  doomed  to  disappointment!  The  tracks 
turn  again  in  a  circle.  Now  they  come  in  rapid  succession. 
Round  and  round  the  bewildered,  terror-stricken,  and  almost 
frozen  one  makes  his  way.  Five  circles,  one  interlocking  anoth- 
er, does  the  lost  man  make ;  then  strikes  out,  and  continues  two 
more — in. all,  twelve  circles  did  John  make  within  less  than  two 
miles. 

"During  our  protracted  search,  I  and  my  companion  often 
threw  ourselves  flat  upon  the  hard  snow  that  covered  the  sea-ice. 
This  gave  us  rest.  At  one  of  these  resting-places  I  fell  instantly 
into  a  sound  sleep.  Had  I  been  alone,  I  know  not  what  would 
have  been  the  result;  but  ^ohnston  roused  me  after  considerable 
exertion,  and  we  pressed  on.  Every  now  and  then  we  came  to 
places  where  the  lost  one  had  seated  himself  to  rest.  In  all,  wc 
found  eight  such  places.  Just  before  the  company  parted,  we 
came  to  a  spot  where  John  had  made  a  hole  down  into  the  snow, 
evidently  with  the  desire  to  get  some  of  the  most  compact  with 
which  to  quench  his  thirst.  During  this  whole  search  we  made 
frequent  calls  on  '  John'  by  loud  shouting. 

"  At  four  o'clock,  while  following  the  tracks,  which  were  then 
tending  northward,  I  thought  I  heard  the  cry  of  dogs.  I  threw 
back  my  hood,  which  is  attached  to  the  jacket  in  the  Innuit  way, 


TRACES  OF  THE  LOST  MAN  ON  A  BEUG.  235 

and  listened.  I  asked  Joluiston  if  ho  had  heard  any  thing.  He 
answered  nay;  adding,  ho  thought  it  only  my  imagination.  I 
saw  that  my  companion  was  getting  exhausted.  Uere  we  were 
far  from  the  vessel,  the  sun  sinking  lower  and  lower,  and  the  cold 
increasing, 

"  Somehow  I  felt  that,  upon  the  return  of  the  three  who  left  us 
a  little  after  two  o'clock,  the  captain  would  send  out  a  native 
with  kummitie  (sledge)  and  dogs,  suitably  provided  to  co-operate 
with  me  in  kecj)ing  up  the  search.  I  regretted,  indeed,  that  I  had 
not  sent  word  by  Morgan  for  the  captain  to  do  this.  It  would 
be  an  easy  matter  to  find  us,  as  the  tracks  of  the  three  would  lead 
to  ours,  whence  we  could  be  traced. 

"Fifteen  minutes  after  4  P.M.  the  tracks  of  John  turned  south. 
Johnston  had  said  he  would  continue  with  me  till  we  should  reach 
the  coast  on  the  west  side  of  Field  Bay,  if  John's  track  should  con- 
tinue there.  Now  they  turned  from  the  vessel  south.  Here,  for 
the  finst  time,  I  solicited  him  to  go  with  rfte  as  far  as  a  point  of 
land  toward  which  we  were  headed.  He  acquiesced.  Passing 
two  miles  south,  a  magnificent  mountain  of  ice  —  an  iceberg  — 
stood  a  little  way  to  the  left.  As  we  came  in  line  with  it — the 
berg  bearing  etrst — we  found  the  footprints  of  John  Brown  square- 
ly turned  toward  it.  At  any  other  time,  how  I  should  have  en- 
joyed the  sight  before  me — a  pile  of  alabaster,  pinnacled  as  no 
human  mind  could  design  or  human  art  execute — here  and  there 
a  covering  of  cream  color,  the  side  facing  the  descending  sun  re- 
flecting dazzling  prismatic  colors.  To  this,  in  the  darkness  of 
night,  John  had  directed  his  steps.  As  we  arrived  at  its  base,  we 
found  that  this  berg  was  evidently  grounded,  the  ice  between  it 
and  the  sea-ice  being  in  fiagments,  from  the  rise  and  fall  of  the 
tides.  We  feared  we  might  find  that  })oor  John  had  lost  his  life 
about  this  berg,  for  his  tracks  showed  that  he  had  ventured  where 
no  man  by  daylight  would  dnre  put  his  foot.  One  place  gave  pal- 
pable evidence  where  he  had  followed  around  to  the  south  side  and 
there  fallen  in.  But  from  this  he  had  extricated  himself,  and  con- 
tinued around  to  the  east  side,  where  he  again  ventured.  From 
appearances,  I  thought  John  in  search  of  some  place  where  he 
eould  be  protected  from  the  wind  and  cold,  where  he  could  sleep. 
He  passed  across  the  dangerous  broken  ice  floating  amid  sea  .wa- 
ter on  to  a  tongue  of  the  berg.  He  walked  along  a  little  cove 
that  was  roofed  by  overhanging  ice ;  he  finds  no  safe  place  there. 
But  where  are  his  outward  steps  ?    For  a  while  we  thought  it  cer- 


23G  ARCTIC  RKSKAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

tain  that  John  was  citbcrin  some  of  the  recesses  of  this  vastberjr. 
or  had  made  a  false  step,  and  gone  down  into  the  deep.  Passing 
northerly,  I  finally  descried  returning  tracks,  lie  had  made  a 
fearful,  desperate  leap  from  a  shelving  alcove  to  the  main  or  sea- 
ice,  and  thence,  after  passing  a  few  rods  cast,  he  turned  again  to 
his  course  south,  which  he  had  pursued  before  turning  to  the  berg. 

"It  was  now  half  past  4  P.M.  On  we  continued,  though  the 
•steps  of  my  companion  were  growing  moderate,  Down  again  we 
threw  ourselves  Hat  upon  the  ice.  While  wc  were  thus  resting 
listlessly,  Johnston  cried  out,  'Ilark!  I  do  hear  the  dogs.'  No 
sooner  had  he  spoken  this  than  the  driver's  cry  came  to  our  ears. 
We  jumped  up — looked  away  to  the  northeast.  Thank  God!  Cap- 
tain Budington  has  sent  us  help.  New  life  was  ours.  Kummitie 
and  dogs,  and  two  co-helpers,  are  fast  approaching.  I  can  not  ex- 
press the  thankfiU  joyfulness  of  heart  I  felt,  even  in  the  still  doubt- 
ful issue  of  our  search.  Still  on  and  on,  to  the  south,  we  followed 
John's  tracks.  As  I  Rnew  Johnston  would  soon  be  overtaken,! 
ijuickened  my  steps,  and  soon  left  him  far  behind.  I  turned  a 
few  minutes  after,  and  who  hailed  me  ?  My  noble  friend  the  cap- 
tain himself.     Now  I  felt  sure  wc  should  not  return  till  the  fate 

of  the  lost  man  should  be  determined.     Captain  B bid  me 

make  my  way  to  the  sledge,  for  he  knew  I  must  be  very  much 
latigued.  He  required  the  Innuit  Charley,  the  dog-driver,  to  take 
my  place  in  tracking.  It  was  a  relief  to  me  and  Johnston  that 
we  received  this  asHstancc  just  as  we  did. 

"Captain  B had  set  out  a  little  past  two,  immediately  on 

seeing  the  return  of  the  major  part  of  the  company  of  five.  He 
had  visited  Look-out  Island,  and  with  his  'spy'  had  watched  our 
movements.  He  directed  his  course  to  the  returning  party;  fol- 
lowed their  tracks,  on  meeting  them,  to  the  place  where  we  part- 
ed, thenCc  followed  ours — which,  of  course,  were  the  circuitous, 
serpentine,  and  angular  one  of  'the  lost' — until,  with  his  sharp 
eyes,  he  sighted  us,  when  he  struck  a  direct  course.  When  Cap- 
tain B overtook  me  it  wanted  five  minutes  of  5  o'clock.     A 

few  moments  brought  us  to  a  recess  in  the  coast  near  the  point 
which,  according  to  Johnston's  promise,  was  to  terminate  his  far- 
ther search  with  me. 

"John's  tracks  showed  that  he  had  endeavored  to  make  land. 
I  left  the  sledge,  and,  with  Charley,  followed  them  up,  while  Cap- 
tain B and  Johnston  awaited  our  determination  of  the  course 

John  had  finally  taken.    John,  we  found,  had  endeavored  to  mount 


TIIK  LOST  FOUND— FHOZKN  DEAD.  237 

the  shore,  but  the  high,  perpendicular  walls  of  ice  thrown  up  by 
the  ever-chasigiiig  tide  would  not  admit  of  his  accomplishing  the 
undertaking. 

"  Krorn  behind  these  ice  barriers  tlic  edges  of  sombre  rocks 
peered  through.  Johnston  was  deceived  thereby  at  one  particu- 
lar spot,  and  exclaimed,  '  There  he  is  I  There  I  do  you  sec  ?' 
pointing  excitedly  to  the  point  indicated.  For  a  few  moments  all 
eyes  were  strained;  but  sighting  showed  that  John's  tracks  led 
easterly,  and  then  south,  around  the  spit  of  land,  on  the  ice. 
Again  we  followed  on  for  half  a  mile,  when  we  were  led  into  a 
cove  that  was  terminated  by  a  high  rock  bluff.  Here  the  ice  be- 
came rough.     Captain  B and  myself  were  on  the  sledge, 

while  Charley  and  Johnston  kept  directly  upon  the  track.  From 
the  bottom  or  extreme  line  of  the  cove  that  made  up  to  the  base 
of  the  indicated  bluft'  sprung  out  another  sjjit,  which  swept  around 
a  little  way  to  the  south,  its  southern  side  being  limited  by  the 
channel*  through  which  we  passed  last  fall  with  the  Rescue,  up 
into  the  bay,  where  we  made  anchorage  while  we  visited  Frobish- 
er  Bay.     As  the  tracks  of  the  lost  led  uj)  into  this  recess.  Captain 

B and  myself  thought  that  John  had  made  liis  way  up  into 

it  for  the  purpose  of  passing  directly  across  the  neck  of  the  penin- 
sula instead  of  going  around  it. 

"  Charley  and  Johnston  thought  it  best  to  continue  on  his  track, 

while  Captain  B and  myself  concluded  to  pass  on  with  the 

dogs  and  kummitie  till  we  should  reach  the  place  where  John 
would  probably  make  the  ice  on  the  other  side.  The  distance 
around,  we  thought,  could  be  but  trifling.  Before  we  had  passed 
out  of  sight  of  the  track  followers,  we  heard  the  loud  but  mourn- 
ful toned  voice  of  the  Innuit  Charley.  We  checked  the  dogs, 
turned  them  back,  and  thence  followed  up.  Our  eyes  were  watch- 
ing intensely  each  movement,  each  step  of  Charley.  All  at  once 
he  stopped,  then  threw  up  his  arms  and  hands,  letting  them  fall 
slowly,  droopingly. 

"It  needed  no  other  language  than  what  wc  saw  in  the  motions 
of  this  noble-hearted  Innuit  to  tell  us  the  terrible  termination  of 
this  day's  search. 

*'  Charley  and  Johnston  turned  to  meet  Captain  B and  my- 
self. Said  they, '  We've  found  him,  and  fear  he  is  dead.'  Neither 
had  approached  nearer  than  within  half  a  dozen  rods  of  him 

*  In  this  idea,  nt  the  time,  I  was  mistaken.    The  channel  (leading  to  Chapell 
Inlet)  is  full  five  miles  more  to  the  southward  of  French  Head.     Vide  Chart. 


238 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION, 


whom  we  had  so  long  sought.  I  flew  as  fast  as  my  limbs  would 
carry  me.  A  few  moments  found  me  grasping  his  arm.  It  was 
as  cold  and  rigid  as  the  monuments  of  ice  around  us  ! 

"  Deep  silence  reigned  for  a  while,  as  our  little  company  of  four 
stood  around  the  frozen  body  of  John  Brown.  There,  in  the 
midst  of  the  little  circle,  lay  the  form  of  him  who  was  lost,  but 
now  found.  But  oh,  what  a  finding!  Spare  me  from  the  like 
asain ! 


IIIE  LUHf  rUUNU — FttUZEM   DEAD. 


"  I  had  hoped  to  find  the  lost  man — to  have  become  a  guide  to 
him — to  have  given  hope  to  the  despairing — to  have  saved  human 
life  ;  and  yet  how  thankful  I  felt  that  his  fate  had  been  truthful- 
ly determined. 

"  Evidently,  from  his  tracks  and  the  rigidnesfi  of  his  limbs,  John 
had  died  some  time  in  the  morning.  From  the  iceberg  for  a  dis- 
tance of  two  miles  the  footprints  were  quite  fresh  compared  with 
the  tracks  we  had  seen  leading  to  it.  It  is  quite  likely  that  in 
the  covered  shelving  of  the  iceberg,  whither  he  made  his  way  so 
desperately,  he  spent  some  of  his  time  in  resting — perhaps  sleep- 
ing.    It  was  almost  a  sleep  of  death,  for  his  tracks  indicated  fee- 


THE  GRAVE  AND  MONUMENT  OF  JOHN  BROWN.     239 

bleness — almost  a  blindness.  Two  rods  before  reaching  the  final 
spot  of  his  death,  we  found  where  he  had  fallen  down  as  he  walk- 
ed along,  the  disturbed  snow  showing  that  great  effort  had  been 
made  to  regain  his  walking  posture.  The  place  where  we  found 
him  also  exhibited  unmistakable  signs  of  a  terrible  struggle  to 
raise  himself  up  again  ;  but  alas !  a  foe  as  irresistible  as  iron  had 
been  fastening  his  fingers  upon  him  ail  the  night  long.  John  had 
fought  like  a  true  soldier — like  a  hero ;  but  he  had  to  yield  at  last. 
He  died  facing  the  heavens,  the  left  hand  by  his  side,  the  right 
extended,  and  his  eyes  directed  upward,  as  if  the  last  objects  mir- 
rored by  them  were  the  stars  looking  down  upon  him  in  his 
death-struggles.  Ilis  face  bore  evidence  that  his  death  was  like 
sweet  sleep. 

"Every  article  of  John's  clothing  was  in  its  place — his  hands 
mittened — his  head,  ears,  and  nose  protected  as  well  as  they  could 
be  by  a  Russian  cap — his  feet  shielded  by  native  boots  and  stock- 
ings, and  his  body  well  clothed  in  woolen  garments,  over  which 
was  his  sealskin  jacket. 

"  Well,  we  found  the  lost,  determined  his  terrible  fate,  and  now 
what  remained  to  be  done? 

"We  considered  it  imprudent  for  us  to  attempt  to  convey  the 
remjtlns  back  to  the  vessel ;  we  thought  it  our  duty  to  show  all 
becoming  respect  for  the  dead,  and  equally  our  duty  to  guard 
well  the  living  against  the  exposures  that  threatened  us  on  our 
return,  for  it  was  now  5  o'clock  P.M.,  and  we  were  full  ten  miles 
by  direct  route  from  the  ship. 

"  Captain  B and  myself  concluded  to  make  his  grave 

ashore,  at  the  base  of  a  noble  mountain  bluff  or  headland,  that 
would  stand  forever  as  the  monument  of  the  deceased.  But  it 
was  soon  found  that  not  a  stone  could  be  moved.  We  then  de- 
cided to  make  his  grave  upon  the  ice,  on  the  very  spot  where  he 
died,  covering  his  form  with  the  unspotted  ice  and  snow  that  lay 
in  profusion  around.  This  sad  duty  was  performed  with  weeping 
liearts.  When  all  was  completed,  with  reverential  awe  of  the 
God  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  we  bent  over  the  grave  of  our 
friend,  and  shed  the  tears  of  mourning,  tempered  with  the  hope 
that  'now  it  is  better  with  thy  spirit!' 

"  With  slow  steps  we  moved  from  this  toward  the  dogs  and 
sledge,  by  which  we  were  to  travel  for  hours  to  our  quarters.  It 
was  half  past  five  when  we  left  the  grave  of  John  Brown.  Our 
team  of  twelve  dogs  made  rapid  progress  some  of  the  way,  while 


240  ARCTIC  XIESEAUCH  EXrEDITlON. 

at  times  there  seemed  to  be  a  '  hugging'  of  the  sledge-shoes  to  the 
snow  that  made  the  draught  very  heavy.  We  had  some  earnest 
work  to  do  to  keep  ourselves  from  freezing.     Every  now  and 

then  we  took  turns  in  jumping  off  and  running.     Captain  B 

had  unfortunately  ventured  out  with  a  pair  of  civilization  boots, 
having  found  his  native  ones  too  small.  On  the  return  passage 
he  got  Johnston  to  pull  off  one  of  his  boots,  as  he  found  one  foot 
freezing.  This  simple,  quick  act  of  pulling  off  the  captain's  boot 
(with  unmittened  hand)  gave  Johnston  a  pile  of  frozen  fingers. 
Half  a  dozen  times  Johnston's  nose  was  frozen,  and  as  often  I 
rubbed  it  into  order.  I  took  the  precaution  of  keeping  myself  in 
active  exercise  by  running  along  beside  the  sledge  for  more  than 
half  of  the  way  home.  The  thermometer  was  down  to  59°  below 
the  freezing  point,  with  a  fresh  wind  from  the  northwest.  Thus 
we  had  severe  battling  to  do  to  keep  from  becoming  subjects  of 
King  Cold. 

"  Every  now  and  then  I  threw  myself  flat  on  the  sledge,  there 
keeping  myself  well  to  the  leeward  of  Captain  B and  the  ex- 
cellent dog-driver  Charley.  I  then,  with  face  upturned,  could  see 
the  workings  of  the  Almighty  in  the  heavens  above.  The  aurora 
was  spanning  the  blue  vault,  painting  in  beauteous  colors  that 
part  of  the  sky  which  seemingly  overhung  the  ever-to-be-remerr. 
bered  spot  where  we  had  bid  adieu  to  the  remains  of  our  friend, 
John  Brown. 

"  What  think  you,  ftiy  friends,  were  my  thoughts,  as  I  lay  with 
my  eyes  looking  above — the  glory  of  God's  creation  shining  upon 
me — as  T  was  swiftly  carried  along,  with  the  consciousness  in  my 
breast  of  having  performed,  on  this  holy  day,  simply  my  duty — 
the  duty  of  man  to  man  ? 

"  As  we  nearcd  the  vessel,  groups  of  anxious  friends  came  out 
to  meet  us.  How  they  peered  among  our  number — all  four  of 
us  upon  the  sledge — to  see  if  John  Brown  was  among  our  com- 
pany !     None  of  us  could  speak.     It  was  like  a  funeral  train. 

"A  voice  from  one,  trembling  between  hope  and  fear,  asked, 
as  we  drove  alongside  the  George  Henry,  '  Tell  us,  did  you  find 
him?'  'Yes,'  I  replied.  'Was  he  dead?'  continued  the  same 
voice.     'You  have  it;  alas!  it  is  too  true,'  was  my  answer. 

"Now  the  terrible  news  flew  from  one  to  another — from  fore- 
castle to  steerage,  all  exclaiming,  '  IIow  sad — how  terrible  an 
end !' 

"  Having  partaken  of  refreshments,  and  exchanged  my  native 


CONCLUSION  OF  THE  SEARCH.  241 

skin-dress — which  was  wringing  wet  with  my  profuse  perspira- 
tion of  the  day — for  my  civilization  clothes,  which  I  wear  only 
when  about  the  ship,  I  had  to  relate  all  the  incidents  connected 
with  my  search  to  the  company  around. 

"  I  was  sorry  to  find  every  one  who  had  been  out  engaging  ac- 
tively in  the  search  completely  used  up.  The  three  from  whom 
I  parted  a  little  after  2  P.M.  did  not  get  to  the  vessel  until  near 
six. 

"The  distance  traveled  yesterday  was  full  fifty-one  English 
miles,  a  feat  at  which  I  myself  am  surprised. 

"  On  reaching  the  vessel  about  9  o'clock  at  night,  we  found 
there  had  been  an  arrival  of  Innuits  (seven  in  number)  on  two 
sledges,  with  dogs,  from  Frobisher  Bay  settlement.  They  brought 
along  a  portion  of  the  walrus  deposited  by  Charley  and  Koojesse 
on  the  other  side  of  the  land  that  lies  between  us  and  Frobisher 
Bay. 

"These  Innuits  also  brought  the  dog  which  the  unfortunate 
Brown  took  with  him  as  a  guide.  They  met  the  dog  out  on  Fro- 
bisher Bay,  returning  toward  the  igloos.  It  had  on  simply  the 
harness  without  the  draught-trace,  which,  to  all  appearance,  had 
been  cut  with  a  knife  close  up  to  the  harness.  This  dog  is  a 
young  black  one,  and  was  not  suitable  as  a  guide.  Had  Brown 
taken  either  of  the  others  (he  had  his  choice),  he  would  have  been 
conducted  safely  to  the  vessel.  But  he  felt  sure  he  knew  the  way. 
How  fatal  that  assurance  has  proved  to  him ! 

"  Bruce,  the  companion  of  Brown,  arrived  with  the  party  of  In- 
nuits last  evening  (5  P.M.).  When  coming,  he  was  pushing  on 
ahead  of  the  party,  and  saw,  in  the  distance  before  him,  a  black 
creature* which  he  took  to  be  a  bear.  He  turned  upon  his  heel, 
and  ran  as  fast  as  his  legs  would  carry  him  back  to  the  advancing 
sledge  party,  crying  to  them  vociferously  to  '/ct-efe'  (hasten  toward 
him),  as  a  bear  was  after  him.    It  proved  to  be  the  young,  docile 

black  dog  of  Captain  B 's  which  John  had  taken  as  his  guide 

to  the  vessel.  The  draught-string  of  ookgook  skin  (large  seal- 
skin) had,  without  doubt,  been  used  by  John  to  fasten  around  his 
kum-ings  (native  boots),  to  keep  them  properly  on  his  feet.  We 
noticed,  when  we  found  him  last  evening,  that  his  feet -gear  had 
apparently  just  received  the  addition  of  new  thongs.  His  tracks 
showed  that  his  kum-ings  had  a  tendency  to  slip  down,  and  to 
make  him  slipshod. 

Q 


242 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


"The  natives  brought  the  dog  along  with  them.  As  they  carao 
across  the  land,  when  near  Field  Bay  they  found  where  this  black 
dog  had  lain  down  to  sleep,  and  found  also  that,  as  he  rose,  he 
walked  around  in  circles,  then  struck  westward,  instead  of  the  di- 
rection of  the  vessel.  This  certainly  shows  that  the  dog  had  not 
answered  the  purpose  as  guide  to  poor  John. 

"How  unfortunate  this  young  man,  John  Brown,  has  been  in 
this  matter!    Had  he  listened  to  the  advice  of  either  Captain 

B or  his  own  companion,  or  to  the  warnings  of  the  two  In- 

nuits,  Charley  and  Koojesse,  this  sad  end  of  his  life  which  1  now 
record  would  not  have  been  made, 

"  His  age,  I  understand,  was  eighteen  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
His  parents  reside  in  France, 

"  ^Jiequiescal  in  joace.^  " 


PARIIRUA,  on   MOCK   8UNB, 

an  eeen  Ht  I'ield  liny,  Mnn-h  14, 1861. 


THE  ESQUIMAUX  SEAL-DOG.  243 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ViHited  by  more  Innuits. — Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito. — The  Seal-dog. — Perils  on 
the  Ice. — Innuits  carried  out  to  Sea. — Starvation. — Dogs  eaten. — Three  Months 
away  from  Lund. — Uetum  of  the  Party,  mere  Skeletons. — Thrilling  Incidents. — 
An  Innuit  carried  down  by  a  Whale  and  afterward  saved. — A  Man's  Leg  snap- 
ped off.— Suziii's  Husband  killed  by  an  Avalanche. — Incidents  of  White  Men's 
Perils  and  Escapes.— Kindness  of  the  Natives. — Another  Man  nearly  frozen  to 
Death. — Heavy  Snow-storm. — Danger  to  Mate  Rogers  and  hib  lunuit  Guide. — 
Dog  Barbekark  saves  them. — Commencement  of  Spring. — Author's  Occupations'. 
— Makes  some  Instruments  for  his  Use  in  exploring. — Plans. — Strange  Informa- 
tion gatliered  from  the  Natives. — Tradition  concerning  White  Men.— Frobisher's 
Exijcdition. 

For  several  days  after  the  search  which  was  made  for  poor 
Brown  on  the  17th  of  March,  I  was  much  troubled  with  boils,  the 
result  of  eating  the  ship's  salt  meats,  which  caused  great  prostra- 
tion, and  rendered  me  unable  to  do  any  thing  but  take  a  few  ob- 
servations and  register  the  weather.  It  was  noticed  by  every  one 
that  I  had  considerably  decreased  in  weight;  indeed,  my  whole 
frame  showed  signs  of  hard  usage,  and  that  I  was  getting  emaci- 
ated ;  but,  having  a  good  constitution,  I  soon  recruited,  and  after 
a  short  period  of  rest  I  was  able  to  get  about  my  work  again. 

On  the  20th  of  March  several  of  our  Innuit  friends  arrived 
from  various  places  where  they  had  been  hunting  and  sealing, 
thus  striving  to  find  means  of  subsistence. 

The  Inni  its  are,  as  I  have  frequently  said,  most  persevering 
sealers,  and  will  go,  with  their  dogs,  even  in  the  very  coldest  of 
weather,  and  under  most  dangerous  circumstances,  to  hunt  for 
seal-holes.  The  sagacious  dog,  on  snuffing  the  air  and  finding  it 
charged  with  seal  odor,  follows  it  to  the  windward  till  he  leads 
his  master  to  the  very  spot  where  a  seal  has  its  hole.  The  man 
then  proceeds  2»'ospccti7}(j  with  his  vspear  through  one  to  three  feet 
depth  of  snow,  until  he  finds  the  small  opening  in  the  ice  leading 
to  the  main  seal-hole.  The  hole  found,  the  long  spindle  shank  of 
the  spear  is  withdrawn,  carefully  avoiding  all  disturbance  of  the 
snow.  Then  the  sealer  remains  silently  and  patiently  listening 
for  a  seal's  "  blow." 

On  hearing  the  second  or  third  "  puff,"  the  spear  is  forcibly 


244 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


Struck  through  the  snow  to  the  seal-hole,  the  harpoon  penetrating 
the  unseen  seal's  head.    The  seal  instantly  dives,  and  runs  out  the 


AN  KB(4UIMAIIX  ANU  UIS  8KAL-D0O. 


full  length,  say  six  to  ten  fathoms,  of  the  line  that  connects  the  har- 
poon to  the  harpooner.  The  seal's  breathing-hole  is  then  "un- 
snowed"  and  enlarged  to  the  size  of  the  main,  when  the  prize  is 
drawn  forth. 

Thus  seal-holes  are  found  and  seals  captured  during  the  long 
winters  of  the  North, 

Among  the  Innuits  just  referred  to  as  now  arrived  were  Ugarng, 
Ebierbing,  and  Tookoolito ;  and  I  was  glad  to  find  them  well, 
though  the  latter  two  had  suffered  considerably  since  I  had  been 
with  them. 

Tookoolito  informed  me  that  a  short  time  after  my  departure 
from  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  the  Innuit  "Jack,"  while  out  seal- 
ing, had  nearly  lost  his  life  by  falling  through  the  ice  into  the 
swiftly -running  tide.  He  only  saved  himself  by  catching  his  chin 
on  to  the  edge  of  some  firm  ice  just  as  the  current  was  sweeping 


INNUITS  DRIFTED  TO  SEA  ON  ICE.  245 

him  under,  but  his  gun,  powder,  and  every  thing  else  belonging 
to  him  was  carried  away.  She  also  told  me  that  the  angeko, 
whom  I  have  formerly  mentioned  as  being  so  lazy,  had,  with  his 
two  wives  and  this  same  "Jack,"  nearly  perished  by  being  driven 
out  to  sea  on  some  ice  that  broke  away.  They  had  gone  on  a 
sealing  excursion  several  miles  up  the  coast,  northerly  and  east- 
erly of  where  I  had  spent  my  time  during  the  trip  of  January  and 
February.  All  at  once  the  ice  on  which  they  were  became  de- 
tached, and  away  they  drifted  to  sea.  In  a  few  days  wind  and 
tide  set  the  floe  back  again,  and  thus  they  escaped  a  terrible 
death. 

Ebierbing  related  to  me  several  incidents  of  the  fearful  expo- 
sure of  his  Innuit  friends,  who  had,  at  various  times,  been  swept 
away  from  land  on  the  sea-ice. 

In  the  winter  of  1859,  the  Innuit  "  Samjoson,''^  and  a  party  of 
fifteen  others,  were  out  walrus  hunting  on  the  ice  in  Frobisher* 
Bay,  when  a  gale  came  on,  and  drove  the  ice  out  to  sea.  Escape 
was  impossible.  On  and  on  the  ice  moved.  The  despairing  In- 
nuits  erected  an  igloo,  and  then  awaited  their  fate.  The  cold  was 
so  terribly  severe  that  most  of  the  dogs  perished.  Two  survived 
for  some  time,  but  had  finally  to  be  eaten  as  food.  Thus  for 
tliirty  days  the  Innuits  continued,  until  at  length  the  ice  upon 
which  they  were  floating  united  to  some  near  the  land,  and  they 
were  enabled  to  reach  an  island  in  the  bay.  Thence  they  got 
upon  the  main  shore,  and  returned  to  their  families  alive,  but  such 
skeletons  in  form  that  they  were  hardly  recognizable  by  their 
IViends.  One  of  the  party,  from  weakness,  had  fallen  into  the  sea, 
but  was  taken  out  again,  his  garments  immediately  freezing  hard 
upon  him.  The  Innuits  Sharkey,  Kop-e-o,  whom  I  called  "  Dick," 
and  most  of  those  now  at  the  lower  village,  were  of  this  com- 
pany. 

Another  incident  mentioned  to  me  was  that  a  party  of  Innuits 
a  few  years  ago  went  out  on  the  sea-ice  walrus  hunting,  and,  br- 
ing driven  away  from  land,  were  unable  to  reach  it  for  ihrer 
movths  !  Fortunately  for  them,  however,  they  did  not  suffer  as 
the  others  had  done.  Walruses  were  caught,  and  thus  they  were 
enabled  to  exist. 

Not  a  winter  passes  but  similar  occurrences  take  place  amonj^- 
the  Innuits.  Indeed,  during  our  stay  in  Rescue  Harbor  several 
persons  were  carried  away  on  the  ice,  but  in  a  day  or  two  after- 
ward succeeded  in  getting  ashore  again. 


246  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Numerous  anecdotes  of  remarkablp  escapes  were  at  different 
times  related  to  me  by  the  Innuits.  One  or  two  may  be  aptly 
brought  forward  here.  The  following  was  told  me  by  Tookoo- 
lito. 

In  the  spring  of  1857,  a  company  of  Esquimaux,  natives  of 
Northumberland  Inlet,  were  far  out  on  the  floe,  by  open  water, 
(or  the  purpose  of  whaling.  A  whale  was  at  length  seen  mov- 
ing leisurely  along  within  striking  distance,  when  the  Esquimaux 
succeeded  in  making  fast  to  it  by  four  harpoons,  each  of  which 
was  fastened  by  a  ten  to  fifteen  fathom  line  of  ookgook  hide  to  a 
drug  made  of  an  uncut  sealskin  inflated  like  a  life-preserver. 

By  some  incautious  act  of  one  of  the  harpooners,  one  of  his  legs 
became  entangled  in  the  line,  and  quick  as  thought  the  whale 
dragged  him  down  into  the  sea  out  of  sight.  His  companions 
were  horror-stricken,  and  for  a  while  all  around  was  still  as  death. 
The  whole  party  earnestly  peered  out  upon  the  blue  waters  far 
and  near,  looking  for  the  reappearance  of  their  comrade.  They 
I)aced  to  and  fro ;  when  at  last  a  shout  came  from  one  of  their 
number — "The  lost  is  found!" — which  brought  all  to  one  spot. 

The  circumstance  that  led  to  this  fortunate  disc6very  was  the 
sight  simply  of  the  finger-tips  of  one  hand  clinging  to  the  top 
edge  of  the  floe.  The  rescuers,  on  looking  over  the  verge,  found 
the  almost  dead  man  moving  hio  lips,  as  if  crying  for  aid,  but  hi.s 
voice  was  gone ;  not  even  a  whisper  responded  to  his  most  des- 
perate struggles  to  articulate.  Another  minute,  it  was  certain, 
would  have  sealed  his  fate — an  ocean  grave. 

It  seems  that,  on  coming  up  from  the  "great  deep,"  the  unfor- 
tunate harpooner  had  attempted  to  draw  himself  on  to  the  floe, 
but  this  he  was  too  enfeebled  to  do.  When  this  whale  turned 
flukes,  as  it  instantly  did  on  being  struck,  it  went  down  perpen- 
dicularly for  soundings,  as  the  Mysticetus  (Greenland  whale)  gen- 
erally does.  Its  great  speed,  and  the  resistance  of  the  "  drug," 
with  that  of  the  drag  of  the  victim's  body,  caused  such  a  strain 
upon  the  line  that  it  parted.  On  this  very  fortunate  moment  the 
buoyant  "  drug"  shot  upward  like  an  arrow,  bringing  with  it  its 
precious  freight — a  living  soul.  A  few  weeks  after,  this  same 
whale,  with  the  four  harpoons  fast  to  it,  was  found  in  drift  ice 
dead.  The  Esquimaux  state  that  whenever  a  harpoon  penetrates 
to  the  flesh  of  the  whale,  it  will  surely  die.  Harpoons  struck  into 
the  blubber,  and  remaining  there,  will  not  prove  fatal ;  it  is  only 
so  when  it  goes  through  the  blubber  into  the  "  krang"  (flesh). 


INCIDENTS  OF  PERILS  AND  ESCAPES.  £47 

Another  incident,  but  of  a  most  fatal  character,  occurred  not 
many  years  ago  in  Field  Bay.  A  party  of  Innuits  were  out  in 
two  oo-mi-eus  (large  skin  boats)  when  a  whale  was  struck.  The 
line,  in  running  out,  whipped  around  a  leg  of  the  harpooner,  in- 
stantly tearing  it  from  the  body  at  the  hip-joint !  The  shock  capsized 
the  boat  and  all  that  were  therein.  The  sea  all  around  the  vic- 
tim became  thick  with  owj  (blood).  A  landing  was  early  sought 
and  eftected,  but  the  poor  creature  soon  died. 

The  following  sad  accident  was  also  related  to  me  :  Koo-ou-le- 
arng's  wing-a  (husband)  was  killed,  when  Ebierbing  was  a  boy, 
at  Kingaite,  in  Northumberland  Inlet.  He  was  out  sealing  near 
the  base  of  the  high  land  (Kingaite  signifies  high  land),  when  an 
avalanche  of  snow  came  suddenly  upon  him,  not  only  overwhelm- 
ing him,  but  a  large  extent  of  ice,  carrying  it  and  him  down,  fai' 
down  into  the  sea.  Being  missed,  he  was  tracked  to  the  fatal 
spot,  but  no  other  traces  of  him  were  ever  discovered. 

While  on  this  subject  I  may  as  well  relate  one  or  two  occur- 
rences narrated  to  me  by  whaling  captains,  which  show  that  white 
men  often  do  go  through  seven  perils,  and  endure  the  same  sort 
of  life  as  the  Esquimaux. 

Captain  Sisson,  on  one  Occasion,  told  me  of  a  shipwreck  that 
occurred  in  September,  1853,  forty  miles  north  of  Cape  East,  in 
Kamtschatka.  The  crew  were  obliged  to  remain  about  eleven 
months  on  shore,  living  among  the  natives  in  a  perfectly  helpless 
condition,  and  without  any  thing  of  value.  Yet  they  were  well 
treated,  and  soon  acquired  the  habits  of  the  natives,  eating  the 
same  food,  and  living  in  the  same  manner ;  and  finally,  without 
the  loss  of  a  man,  came  away  quite  fat  and  healthy. 

Again,  another  case  may  be  mentioned  as  reported  to  me.  In 
the  fall  of  1851,  Captain  Quayle,  of  the  ArClelland,  whaler,  from 
New  London,  entered  a  harbor  in  Northumberland  Inlet,  but, 
not  meeting  with  success,  it  was  proposed  that  some  of  the  ship's 
company  should  winter  there  with  a  view  to  commence  whaling 
in  the  spring,  if  that  should  be  practicable.  The  first  mate,  now 
Captain  S.  O.  Budington,  and  W.  Sterry,  with  ten  other  volun- 
teers, agreed  to  do  so.  Except  the  first  officer,  the  whole  were 
single  young  men. 

The  understanding  was  that  the  McClelland  should  return  for 
them  by  the  next  July ;  and  meanwhile  provisions,  two  boats, 
and  various  other  effects,  were  placed  on  shore  for  their  use. 

The  twelve  men  now  went  to  work  to  make  preparation  for 


248  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

their  stay.  A  house  was  built  of  stone,  filling  in  the  walls  with 
turf,  and  snow  on  the  outside,  making  a  total  thickness  of  six  feet. 
The  roof  was  made  of  sealskins  sewed  together  and  placed  on 
poles.  For  a  window,  which  was  in  the  roof,  intestines  of  the 
whale  answered  well.  The  stove  served  for  cooking  and  heating, 
and  coal  had  been  left  for  fuel ;  but  this  becoming  exhausted  by 
the  end  of  December,  an  admirable  substitute  was  found  in  some 
skeletons  of  whales,  which  were  discovered  frozen  in  the  ice  some 
thirty  miles  distant,  and  were  transported  to  the  house  by  means 
of  dogs  and  sledges.  The  bone  burned  well,  being  full  of  oil,  and 
it  was  easily  cut  up  with  an  axe. 

An  incident  connected  with  the  transport  of  this  bone  is  wor- 
thy of  record.  One  day  in  February,  a  younger  brother  of  Cap- 
tain Quayle,  with  a  companion,  set  out  for  the  bone  depot  on  a 
dog-sledge.  On  their  return  a  furious  snow-storm  came  on,  and 
the  dogs,  as  well  as  the  men,  lost  their  way.  Darkness  over- 
taking them,  they  determined  to  rest  till  morning  under  the  lee 
of  an  island,  but  during  the  whole  night  it  was  a  terrible  battle 
for  life.  The  only  salvation  for  them  was  in  pounding  each  other, 
wrestling,  tumbling,  kicking,  etc.  Occasionally  the  "  death-sleep" 
would  be  found  creeping  over  them,  when  all  their  strength  and 
resolution  were  called  into  action  in  the  manner  just  described. 
The  next  day  they  arrived  in  safety  at  the  house. 

The  stock  of  provisions  left  with  the  party  was  exhausted  be- 
fore any  ship  arrived,  but  whale-meat,  seals,  venison,  and  ducks 
were  found  in  abundance.  The  natives  also  were  very  kind, 
sharing  with  them  whatever  game  they  found.  Thus  they  lived 
until  September,  1852,  when  Captain  Parker,  in  an  English  whaler, 
took  them  away. 

On  March  27th  another  man  came  near  being  frozen  to  death. 
Strangely  enough,  it  was  Bruce,  the  very  companion  of  the  unfor- 
tunate Brown ! 

It  appeared  that  Bruce,  who  was  still  under  attacks  of  scurvy, 
had  again  gone  to  the  Innuit  settlement  at  Oopungnewing,  but 
one  morning  suddenly  determined  upon  returning  to  the  ship, 
Esquimaux  "Bob,"  with  whom  he  was  staying,  insisted  upon  his 
remaining  that  day,  as  the  weather  was  too  bad.  But  no;  Bruce 
would  go,  and  at  once  started  off  alone. 

Seeing  that  the  white  man  was  apparently  bent  on  his  own  de- 
struction, or  did  not  know  what  he  was  about,  the  dark-skinned 
but  spotless-hearted  and  noble-minded  Esquimaux  "Bob,"  being 


SEVERE  EFFECTS  OF  A  SNOW-STORM.  249 

himself  unable  to  leave,  engaged  an  Innuit  woman,  whom  we  call- 
ed Bran  New,  to  accompany  Bruce.  The  good  creature  readily 
did  so,  and  by  her  means  (as  Bruce  admitted)  he  was  enabled  to 
reach  the  vessel  in  safety. 

Another  circumstance  occurred,  which,  though  not  very  seri- 
ous in  results,  might  have  proved  so,  had  it  not  been  for  my  dog 
Barbekark. 

On  the  28th  of  March  Mate  Eogers  started  for  the  whaling 
depot  in  Frobisher  Bay.  He  had  with  him  sundry  articles  re- 
(^uired  for  spring  operations,  and  a  sledge  and  dogs,  driven  by 
Koojesse.     Among  the  dogs  was  my  Greenlander,  Barbekark. 

They  left  at  6  A.M.,  the  weather  then  moderate ;  but  at  noon 
it  was  blowing  a  hard  gale  from  the  northeast,  with  thick-falling 
snow,  which  continued  during  the  day. 

At  half  past  nine  in  the  evening  one  of  the  ship's  officers,  Mr. 
Lamb,  going  upon  deck,  heard  the  cry  of  dogs,  and  soon  found 
that  Mr.  Rogers  was  returning.  In  a  few  moments,  to  our  aston- 
ishment, for  the  gale  was  severe,  he  and  Koojesse,  with  the  sledge, 
arrived  alongside,  and  soon  afterward  the  mate  was  down  in  the 
cabin, but  so  completely  overpowered  by  exhaustion  that  he  could 
hardly  speak.  His  face  was  the  only  spot,  in  appearance,  human 
about  him,  and  even  this  was  covered  with  snow-wreaths  pelted 
at  him  by  the  ruthless  storm. 

After  sufficient  time  for  restoration,  he  related  the  incidents  of 
the  past  fifteen  hours.  It  appears  that,  as  they  passed  from  Chap- 
oU  Inlet  to  Field  Bay,  at  about  1  o'clock  P.M.,  it  blew  quite  a  gale, 
and  the  air  was  so  filled  with  snow  that  they  could  hardly  see  the 
dogs  before  them.  Uere  Koojesse  advised  that  they  should  build 
an  igloo,  and  remain  in  it  until  the  end  of  the  gale,  but  Mr.  Rog- 
ers thought  it  better  they  should  return  home  to  Rescue  Harbor, 
after  resting  a  few  minutes,  and  refreshing  themselves  with  some 
snow-water.  This,  with  some  difficulty,  they  obtained,  and  at  two 
they  started  back  for  the  vessel. 

At  first  they  got  on  pretty  well  as  far  as  Parker's  Bay,*kecp- 
ing  the  ridge  of  mountains  running  southeast  and  northwest  on 
their  left,  and  within  sight.  On  reaching  Parker's  Bay,  they  then 
struck  across  the  ice  toward  the  ship.  This  was  almost  fatal  to 
them.  Esquimaux  dogs  are  often  unmanageable  when  it  is  at- 
tempted to  force  them  in  the  teeth  of  a  storm,  and  so  it  proved 
now.  The  leader  of  tlie  team,  a  dog  belonging  to  the  Innuit 
Charley,  lost  his  way,  and  confused  all  the  rest.     Tlic  snow-storm 


250  ARCTIC  KESEARCU  EXPEDITION. 

was  upon  them  in  all  its  fury,  and  men,  as  well  as  dogs,  were  be- 
coming blinded.  Presently  the  leading  dog  directed  the  team  to- 
ward some  islands  near  the  head  of  the  bay ;  but,  on  approach- 
ing them,  it  was  seen  that  Barbekark  was  struggling  to  make  u 
different  route,  and  these  islands  convinced  the  two  human  minds 
that  dog  sagacity,  when  known  to  be  true,  was  best  when  left  to 
itself  in  such  emergencies.  Accordingly,  Barbekark  was  allowed 
to  have  his  own  way,  and  in  a  short  time  he  led  them  direct  to 
the  ship. 

I  asked  Mr.  Rogers  what  they  had  intended  to  do  if  the  vessel 
could  not  be  found.  His  reply  was,  that  when  it  became  dark, 
Koojesse  had  once  proposed  to  stop  for  the  night  on  the  ice,  and, 
to  insure  as  much  safety  as  possible,  they  were  to  throw  them- 
selves among  the  dogs,  cover  themselves  with  the  two  bearskins 
they  had,  and  thus  try  to  preserve  life  until  daylight  would  help 
to  show  them  where  they  were. 

The  end  of  this  adventure  was,  that  Koojesse  remained  so  far 
blind  for  days  that  he  could  not  see  to  do  any  thing;  and  Mr. 
Rogers's  face,  in  its  uncovered  portions,  had  actually  turned  to  a 
deep  dark  red,  while  the  shielded  parts  were  perfectly  white, 
thus  showing  what  contrasts  these  Northern  storms  can  paint  in 
one  short  day. 

A  lesson  to  be  gathered  from  this,  as  I  then  thought,  and  still 
believe,  is  to  allow  the  natives  to  do  what  they  consider  best  in 
such  times.  They  thoroughly  understand  the  way  to  prepare  for 
and  withstand  the  warring  elements  of  their  own  regions,  and  it 
is  well  for  white  men  always  to  heed  their  advice,  however  unrea- 
sonable it  may  seem  to  be  at  the  time. 

On  the  8th  of  April  the  cooking  apparatus  and  other  material 
were  moved  up  from  below,  where  they  had  been  during  the 
whole  winter,  and  thus  what  we  might  call  symptoms  of  spring 
(though  there  is  no  real  sjmng  in  those  regions)  presented  them- 
selves. But  here  a  few  extracts  from  my  diary  at  this  time  may 
be  suitable. 

''Aiml  8(h,  1861.  This  P.M.  the  party  of  eight  which  left  the 
Georrje  Henry  last  Sunday  for  Frobisher  Bay,  to  trade  for  walrus 
meat,  returned.  They  were  accompanied  by  the  Innuit  Sharkey, 
a  man  as  dark-colored  as  a  negro.  A  large  quantity  of  walrus 
meat  was  obtained,  which  furnished  us  with  abundant  fresh  food 
for  ourselves,  and  plenty  for  the  dogs.  To-day  we  had  venison 
for  dinner. 


MARTIN  FllOIUSIIER'S  EXPEDITIONS  OF  1570-8.  251 

The  First  T'radilionary  IJistnry  gained  from  the  Esqnimaux  relative 
to  Frobisher's  Expedition. 

About  the  1st  of  April,  1861,  there  was  quite  an  intelligent 
Esquimaux,  named  Koojcssc,  in  the  neighborhood  where  I  was 
(Rescue  Harbor),  who  occasionally,  in  his  coininunicatiors,  made 
reference,  in  a  vague  way,  to  a  certain  matter  which  at  first  exci- 
ted but  little  of  my  attention,  and  yet,  in  the  sequel,  it  will  be  seen 
that  it  related  to  what  was  of  the  most  important  character.  I  had 
several  conversations  with  this  Esquimaux  in  the  presence  of 
Captain  Budington,  who,  being  more  proficient  at  that  time  than 
myself  in  the  Innuit  vernacular,  assisted  me  as  interpreter. 

This  native  spoke  of  a  time  long,  long  ago,  when  kod-lu-nas 
(white  men)  built  a  vessel  on  an  island  in  the  bay  lower  down 
(Frobisher  Bay).  Spoke  also  of  brick  ("  mik-e-oo-koo-loo  oug"  small 
red  pieces),  timber,  chips,  etc.,  as  having  been  left  there. 

The  idea  of  a  vessel  having  been  built  in  those  regions  seemed 
too  improbable  to  be  entertained  for  a  moment.  So  unreasonable 
did  the  story  appear  of  constructing  a  ship  in  such  a  perfectly 
woodless  country,  that  T  thought  it  a  waste  of  time  and  paper  to 
make  a  record  of  it ;  therefore  what  transpired  in  the  first  two 
or  three  intcrvicvvs  vvith  the  Esquimaux  Koojcssc,  in  relation  to 
this  subject,  is  not  in  my  original  notes.  Finally,  in  a  few  days, 
I  began  in  my  reflections  to  connect  the  Esquimaux  report  with 
the  time  when  Martin  Frobisher  made  his  discoveries,  and  simul- 
taneously commenced  to  make  record  of  whatever  was  stated  to 
me  in  subsequent  interviews. 

The  commencement  of  said  notes  is  under  date  of  April  9th, 
1861.  I  now  extract  them  from  my  original  journal,  as  made  im- 
mediately after  an  interview  with  the  Esquimaux  Koojcssc  on 
the  P.M.  of  same  date : 

*'  Among  the  traditions  handed  down  from  one  generation  to 
another,  there  is  this:  that  many — very  many  years  ago,  some 
white  men  built  a  ship  on  one  of  the  islands  of  Frobisher  Bay, 
and  went  away. 

"  I  think  I  can  see  through  this  in  this  way  :  Frobisher,  in  1578, 
assembled  a  large  part  of  his  fleet  in  what  he  called  '  Countess  of 
Warwick  Sound'  (said  to  be  in  that  bay  below  us),  when  a  coun- 
cil was  held  on  the  1st  of  August,  at  which  it  was  determined  to 
send  all  persons  and  things  on  shore  upon  'Countess  of  Warwick 
Island ;'  and  on  August  2d  ordors  were  proclaimed,  by  sound  of 


252  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

trumpet,  for  the  guidance  of  the  company  during  their  abode 
thereon.  For  reasons  stated  in  the  history,  the  company  did  not 
tarry  here  long,  but  departed  for  '  J/eto  Incognita^''  and  thence  to 
EngUmd. 

"  Now,  may  not  the  fact  of  timbers,  chips,  etc.,  etc.,  having  been 
found  on  one  of  the  islands  (within  a  day's  journey  of  here)  many 
years  ago,  prove  that  the  said  materials  were  of  this  Frobisher's 
company,  and  that  hence  the  Innuit  tradition? 

"  In  a  few  days  I  hope  to  be  exploring  Frobishcr  Bay.  I  may 
thereafter  have  something  to  add  to  the  matter  above  referred  to." 
I  now  turn  to  other  matters  in  my  journal. 

"April  9(h.  As  I  write,  the  main  cabin  table  of  the  ship  is  sur- 
rounded by  natives  playing  dominoes.  There  are  Ebierbing,  Miner 
and  his  wife,  Charley  and  wife,  and  Jim  Crow  with  his  wife. 

"  The  gale  of  to-day  has  been  terrific.  One  would  have  to  con- 
test sharply  with  the  elements  in  order  io  breathe,  if  outside  of  the 
cabin  for  a  moment.  In  the  afternoon  an  alarm  was  raised  that 
Sharkey's  wife  had  fallen  down  tiie  forecastle  steps  and  was  dy- 
ing. It  seems  that  in  mounting  the  stairs  leading  therefrom  with 
her  semi-white  child,  she  was  taken  with  a  fainting-fit,  in  which 
she  fell.  Though  no  bones  were  fractured,  yet  she  was  so  severe- 
ly injured  that  she  has  been  in  a  critical  condition  ever  since,  and 
some  of  the  time  unconscious. 

'■^  April  10th.  This  day  Sterry  left  for  Frobisher  Bay  settlement, 
to  remain  a  while  among  the  natives.  Parties  are  now  very  oft- 
en going  backward  and  forward,  conveying  ship's  material  to  the 
intended  whaling  depot  at  Cape  True.^'  In  the  evening  there 
was  another  magnificent  display  of  the  aurora.  At  9  o'clock  a 
long  line  or  arch,  extending  from  the  west  to  the  east,  began  to 
rise  from  the  horizon.  I  noticed  a  peculiarity  of  this  night's  dis- 
play worthy  of  record.  When  the  centre  of  the  auroral  arch  had 
risen  about  three  degrees  above  the  horizon,  a  long  line  of  narrow 
black  clouds  rested  parallel  with  the  base  of  the  aurora.  Slow- 
ly the  arch  mounted  the  heavens,  the  clouds  all  this  time  becom- 
ing less  and  less  black,  until  they  were  finally  exhausted.  The 
clouds  were  as  dark  as  '  thunder-clouds'  when  I  first  saw  them. 
In  half  an  hour  the  stars  shone  brightly  where  they  had  been. 
They  seemed  to  follow  upward  as  the  arch  lifted.  When  the  arch 
became  elevated  25°,  other  belts  of  aurora  sprang  into  action,  so 

*  So  named  nftor  Beiijiuiiin  C.  True,  of  Cincinnnti,  Ohio.     Cupe  True  is  in  Int. 
(J2°B;i'N.,l(.ng.  <i4°r)r)'\v. 


TRIP  UP  BUDINGTON  MOUNT.  253 

that  there  was  a  sight  worth  the  admiration  of  beings  even  supe- 
rior to  man  I 

"To-day  I  have  purchased  of  the  captain  the  chronometer 
that  had  belonged  to  the  Rescue.  I  intend  to  make  record  of  all 
the  observations  I  take,  leaving  most  of  them  to  be  worked  up  on 
ray  return  home.  Some  undoubtedly  will  prove  to  be  erroneous ; 
but  /  shall  do  lohal  I  can  to  make  all  my  observations  reliable. 
There  is  nothing  that  has  weighed  more  heavily  upon  me  than 
the  want  of  a  good  time-piece.  When  I  make  my  journey  west- 
ward and  northward  to  King  William's  Land,  I  shall  require  the 
chronometer.  Indeed,  I  need  it  in  my  journey  up  Frobisher  Bay 
this  spring.  I  am  anxious  to  perform  work  that  shall  redound 
to  the  credit  of  those  who  have  so  generously,  so  nobly  assisted 
me  in  my  outfit  for  the  voyage  I  am  making  here  in  the  North. 
God  giving  me  health  and  help  in  the  prosecution  of  my  work, 
I  will  do  my  duty  as  a  geograplier  and  a  humanitarian. 

'■'■April  12(h.  This  morning  is  gloriously  fine.  I  must  do  out- 
door work  to-day.  I  will  oft'  for  a  trip  up  Budington  Mount,  and 
from  its  peak  take  some  angles  and  bearings  of  prominent  places 
around  and  about  the  bay.  *  *  *  *  Just  returned,  and  a 
fine  time  I  have  had  of  it.  It  was,  however,  dangerous  business 
going  tq)  the  mountain's  steep,  icy,  and  hard,  snow-covered  sides, 
but  it  was  even  worse  coming  doivn.  Any  one  who  is  experi- 
enced in  mountain  excursions,  especially  in  these  regions,  must 
know  that  the  latter  is  far  more  difficult  than  the  former. 

"  When  at  the  summit  it  was  very  interesting.  I  had  an  In- 
nuit  companion  with  mc,  and,  while  I  took  my  observations,  he 
slept  on  a  bed  of  snow,  and  seenied  as  comfortable  as  any  white 
man  on  a  bed  of  down.  As  we  descended,  he  made  steps  for  us 
with  a  long,  sharp  stone  which  he  had  picked  up  for  the  purpose; 
but  even  then  we  had  to  exercise  great  caution.  A  mishap  might 
have  endangered  our  lives,  and  also  my  instruments. 

*'  To-night  the  aurora  is  beautiful  as  usual.  Its  rays  shoot  up 
somewhat  more  dome-like  than  before.  It  extends  northwest 
around  to  the  south,  and  thence  to  the  east.  How  many  are  the 
times  I  am  blessed  with  the  sight  of  this  phenomenon.  Its 
changes  are  constantly  going  on.  I  never  see  it  twice  alike. 
Every  moment  the  scene  changes.  In  bright  disorder,  the  heav- 
ens are  almost  nightly  painted  with  the  blaze  of  this  incompara- 
ble, incomprehensible  light.  As  its  brightness  oft  is  mirrored  by 
my  eyes  and  soul,  I  often  feel  that  I  am  truly 

"  'Arrajed  in  glory  and  enthroned  in  light.' 


254  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

"  Eleven  o'clock,  night.  A  few  minutes  ago  I  came  from  deck. 
The  aurora  then  spanned  the  heavens  near  to  the  zenith ;  a  few 
minutes  later — I  have  just  been  on  deck  again — all  is  gone ;  not  a 
beam  any  where  visible.  The  stars  have  it  now  all  to  themselves, 
Jupiter  bearing  the  palm,  as  he  outshines  them  all. 

^^  April  loth.  Have  had  a  long  tramp  to-day  round  the  head  of 
Field  Bay,  triangulating  and  making  observations.  Koojesse  ac- 
companied me  for  a  while,  but  the  charms  of  sealing  soon  took 
him  away,  and  some  time  afterward,  when  I  was  on  a  mountain 
peak,  I  saw  him  at  a  distance,  by  the  aid  of  my  glass,  most  unmer- 
cifully punishing  his  dog,  probably  because  the  poor  animal  could 
not  find  a  seal  igloo.  The  Innuits,  when  they  do  punish  dogs, 
beat  them  cruelly. 

"  Ajiril  Yith.  Y"esterday  I  took  my  first  lunar  observation.  I 
did  it  alone,  expecting  only  to  obtain  an  approximation  to  t'ue 
true  longitude  of  this  place.  To-day  I  have  taken  another,  with 
assistants  to  measure  altitudes  at  the  same  time. 

"  I  have  had  equally  unexpected  success  in  making  some  of  my 
own  instruments.  Being  without  a  protractor,  I  made  one,  tho 
other  day,  from  a  piece  of  copper  which  had  formed  a  portion  of 
the  Rescuers  sheathing;  and  this  served  a  double  purpose,  being 
useful  in  my  chart-work,  and  also  remaining  as  a  relic  of  the  once 
memorable  expedition  schooner.  Another  instrument  I  had  also 
to  make,  and  succeeded  in  making,  though  it  occupied  much  time, 
namely,  an  artificial  horizon.  I  constructed  it  with  various  con- 
trivances of  my  own,  and  now  I  have  both  these  instruments  by 
me  as  pleasing  mementoes  of  my  sojourn  in  these  dreary  regions, 
where  no  stores  exist  to  supply  me  with  articles  so  indispensable. 

''^  April  19lh.  To-day  I  was  not  a  little  amused  to  see  the  rig  in 
which  the  laughing  Innuit  Sharkey  appeared.  A  present  was 
made  him  of  a  new  wool  shirt,  edged  all  around,  except  the  flaps, 
with  scarlet — brij/it  flaming  red.  He  proudly  strutted  around 
among  us  white  folk  with  this  on  the  outside  of  all  his  other 
clothes,  wearing  it  like  a  frock! 

^^  April  20th.  To-day  the  snow  embankment  around  the  ship 
has  been  taken  away,  and  the  crew  are  busy  putting  the  vessel  iu 
complete  order  for  service.  Paint  and  varnish  are  now  freely 
used  in  the  process  of  renovation. 

"April  21st.  I  am  preparing  to  go  over  to-morrow  to  the  Innu- 
it settlement  on  Frobisher  Bay,  intending  to  explore  around  the 
waters  mapped  out  by  the  geographers  as  Frobisher  Strait.    My 


PREPARE  TO  EXPLORE  FROBISIIER  gAY.  255 

wish  is  to  chart  the  lands  around  that  place  within  the  next 
month,  and  even  to  do  much  more.  Koojesse  has  promised  to  go 
over  with  me  if  the  weather  will  permit. 

"  I  have  omitted  to  mention  the  '  spot'  on  the  sun  that  I  first 
saw  on  the  19th  when  taking  observations.  At  the  moment  ^ 
thought  it  was  a  defect  in  my  sextant  glass,  but  afterward  found 
it  to  be  on  the  face  of  old  Sol. 

"  Twenty  minutes  before  midnight.  I  have  just  returned  from  deck 
entranced  by  the  fires  that  are  burning  in  the  heavens !  A  new 
play  to-night  by  the  aurora — at  least  so  to  me.  Going  up,  I  saw 
that  the  moon  was  struggling  to  penetrate,  with  her  borrowed 
light,  the  white  clouds  that  enshrouded  her.  Looking  around,  I 
found  the  heavens  covered  with  j^^tite  dancers  clothed  in  white. 
My  powers  of  description  of  this  peculiar  appearance  and  work- 
ings of  the  aurora  at  this  time  are  inadequate.  There  is  no  color 
in  the  aurora  to-night ;  it  is  simply  white,  like  the  world  beneath 
it. 

^'■Midnight.  I  have  been  on  deck  again.  I  am  now  satisfied 
that  I  have  occasionally  seen  the  aurora  during  this  month  in  the 
daytime,  when  the  sun  was  well  up  in  its  course  and  shining 
brightly. 

"  I  now  retire  to  my  couch  for  some  refreshing  sleep,  prepara- 
tory to  making  an  effort  in  the  morning  for  commencing  the  ex- 
ploration of  Frobisher  Bay." 


256  AUCTIC  KESEARCII  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

First  Excursion  in  Frobislicr  Bay. — Crossing  tlie  Mountain  Pass. — Traveling  on  tlio 
Ice. — A  Trnditiun  concerning  Wliite  JSIcn  masting  a  Ship. — Arrival  at  Oopung- 
ncwing. — Annawa's  Home. — Hospitable  Kece])tion. — Close  Slccping-(iuarters. — 
Ten  Persons  in  a  Bed. — Morning  Walk. — Tlic  Innuit  Village. — Twcr-puk-ju-n. 
— Stcrry  living  with  the  Natives. — Miner. — Chunniiu;  a  Seal. — Kokorjabin's  Birth- 
l)lace. — Kingaitc. — Karmowong.  —  Author  adopts  Innuit  Life. — Tri;'  along  the 
Co.ist. — The  "Ice-foot." — Summer  Rcsting-jjlaces  of  the  Inuuits. — Sui  Arti- 
cles belonging  to  a  wrecked  Shii). — Ec-vic-toon. — Native  Monuments. — Grandeur 
of  Kingaitc  Mountains. — The  Grinnell  Glacier. — A  fatiguing  Journey. — Disap- 
pointed of  a  Night's  Shelter. — Moonlight  Traveling. — A  poor  Supper. — Thirst. — 
An  iniprom])tu  Igloo. — A  cold  Bed. — Next  Day's  Journey. — Discover  the  Na- 
tives.— Sampson  and  his  Family. — Kind  Ileccjition. — A  Seal  Hunt. — Feasting^— 
The  Seal's  Eyes  given  to  youngest  Child. — Knowledge  mmimj  to  an  Inquirer. — 
Tide  entering  the  Igloos  at  Night. — Innuit  Women's  Mouths  good  Receptacles  for 
cleansing  Purjioses. — Snow-storm. — Author  accustomed  to  Innuit  Food. — How  it 
is  eaten. — Seal's  Brains  ami  Entrcils. — Author  becomes  an  Angeko.  —  Return 
Journey. — Laugliable  Incident. — A  tight  Fit. — Curious  Mountain  Mark. — Abun- 
dance of  Animal  Life. — Arrival  at  Twerpukjua  and  at  Annawa's. — An  animated 
Sunday  Picture. — Return  on  Foot  to  the  Ship. — Arrival. 

On  Monday  morning,  April  22d,  1861,  at  half  past  10  o'clock, 
I  started  on  my  trip — the  first  yet  made  by  me  into  Frobisher 
Bay.  My  guide  and  companion  was  Koojesse ;  and  as  we  should 
have  to  cross  a  neck  of  land  between  the  two  bays,  thence  travel 
on  foot  upon  the  ice,  I  could  not  carry  much  baggage.  All,  there- 
fore, that  I  took  was  the  following : 

My  native  tuktoo  jacket,  pants,  and  mittens,  an  extra  pair  of 
native  boots  and  stockings,  my  charts  and  chart  material,  protract- 
or, dividers,  parallel  and  plain  rule,  artificial  horizon,  with  bottlw 
of  mercury,  a  pocket  sextant,  azimuth  compass  and  tripod,  marine 
glass,  thermometer,  besides  beads  and  several  plugs  of  tobacco,  foi' 
presents  to  the  natives.  With  these  articles  pendent  to  a  strap 
passing  over  my  shoulders,  across  my  breast,  and  down  my  back, 
I  departed. 

Our  course  from  the  ship  was  westerly  to  the  other  side  of 
Field  Bay,  where  Wo  struck  the  land,  and  met  some  of  the  natives 
with  dogs  and  siedge,  conveying  walrus  hide,  meat,  and  blubber 
to  the  vessel.    A  couple  more  were  also  going  thither  to  obtain 


BAYARD  TAYLOR  I'ASS.  257 

eye-water  for  Sterry,  who  Wiis  at  that  time  living  with  some  of 
the  people  near  the  island  called  Oopungnewing.  From  Field  Bay 
our  track  was  over  the  mountain  pass  much  frequented  by  the 
natives.  This  pays,  which  1  have  named  after  Bayard  Taylor, 
was,  in  some  parts  of  it,  very  steep  and  fatiguing,  but  the  scenery 
was  grand  and  captivating. 

Ilalf  way  on  the  route  we  stopped  at  a  spring  of  delicious  wa- 
ter, and  there  had  our  dinner.  Thence  we  continued  to  ascend 
until  reaching  the  summit  of  the  pass.  We  then  commenced  our 
descent  by  following  a  course  between  high  rocks,  along  a  path 
that  was,  in  one  or  two  places,  very  steep. 

Presently,  after  passing  through  a  magnificent  gorge,  we  came 
on  to  a  small  inlet  leading  up  from  an  arm  of  Countess  of  War- 
wick Sound.  This  wc  traversed  for  about  an  eighth  of  a  mile, 
until,  coming  to  an  abrupt  turn  where  a  bold,  bluff  mountain  was 
on  either  side,  I  caught  sight  of  Frobisher  Bay,  and  the  mountains 
of  Kingaite  beyond.  The  view  was,  to  me,  quite  exciting.  The 
ice-covered  bay,  with  the  distant  peaks  of  ifda  Tncofjnila,  and  the 
dark,  abrupt  cliffs  at  our  side,  seemed  a  glorious  picture  to  one, 
like  myself,  beholding  it  for  the  first  time. 

The  sun  was  now  descending,  but  the  moon's  silvery  rays  would 
serve  to  guide  us  on,  therefore  wc  hastened  forward,  though  the 
distance  was  yet  some  miles  to  travel.  In  a  short  time  more  we 
were  traversing  the  snow-wreaths  that  covered  the  bay-ice,  and,  as 
we  passed  on,  Koojesse  pointed  out  a  place  at  our  right  which  he 
said  was  where  the  "white  men,  a  long  time  ago,  had  masted  a 
ship;"  but  this  seemed  so  improbable  that  I  did  not  at  that  lime 
believe  him. 

The  island  wc  were  now  going  to  was  the  one  Annawa  and 
his  family  went  to  at  the  time  we  escorted  them  part  of  the  way 
the  j^revious  fall  (sec  page  128),  and  wo  now  intended  to  rest 
there  for  the  night.  But  it  was  quite  9  P.M.  before  we  arrived, 
and  then  some  of  the  family  were  in  bed.  This,  however,  did  not 
prevent  our  having  a  prompt  and  most  friendly  reception.  The 
aged  Annawa  and  all  those  witli  him  quickly  gave  us  food,  and 
a  prompt  ofter  of  hospitality  for  the  night.  They  were  all  much 
rejoiced  to  see  me,  and,  thougli  there  was  no  "spare  bed," yet  I 
was  cordially  invited  to  share  theirs.  Soon  afterward,  tired  and 
sore  with  my  long  walk  of  near  twenty  miles  over  ice,  mountain, 
and  ice  again,  I  retired  to  rest  as  best  I  could. 

That  night  my  sleep  was  a  sound  one,  though  I  was  tightly 

K 


* 


258  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

squeezed,  the  sleepers  being  numerous,  and  all  in  the  same  bed ! 
There  were  nine  of  us,  besides  the  infant  at  the  breast — a  boy  3^  feet 
in  height,  of  portly  dimensions ! 

The  order  of  our  sleeping  was  as  follows:  Key-e-zhune,  the 
wife  of  Annawa,  lay  in  her  place  by  the  ik-ku-mer  or  fire-light, 
with  "  infant"  KoJc-uk-jim  betwee  herself  and  her  husband ;  then 
next  to  him  was  the  child  Oo-suk_  I  lay  alongside  of  the  child, 
Koojesse  next  to  me ;  then  came  E  ee-loo,  with  his  wife  Oong-a, 
all  of  us  ilicing  upward.  Then  v,  '-  feet  at  our  faces,  were  a 
young  man  Innuit,  and  the  littL-  girl  i^im-mi-loo,  who  lives  with 
Annawa. 

The  space  in  which  the  ten  were  compacted  and  interwoven 
was  less  than  as  many  feet  I  Of  course,  I  had  to  sleep  in  my  day- 
dress,  as  no  spare  bed  is  kept  in  reserve  for  company,  nor  have 
they  a  tuktoo  covering  more  than  they  need  for  the  family ;  but 
I  got  along  through  the  night  after  a  fashion.  It  was,  however, 
not  very  pleasant.  Whenever  I  attempted  to  turn  to  relieve  my 
aching  bones,  a  little  boy  by  my  side  roared  like  a  young  lion, 
awaking  all  the  sleepers,  and  thus  a  confusion  followed  that  would 
have  deprived  me  of  farther  slumber  but  for  my  great  fotigue. 
However,  the  night  passed  on,  and  early  in  the  morning  I  slipped 
out  as  a  snake  from  his  deciduous  epidermis,  and  prepared  myself 
for  a  walk. 

The  igloo  was  built  at  the  base  of  a  mountain,  and  up  this  I 
ascended  until,  reaching  its  summit,  I  had  a  good  view  of  the  re- 
gion around  me.  I  was  now  where  I  had  long  hoped  to  be.  Be- 
low, and  encircling  the  islard,  was  a  field  of  ice,  making  an  excel- 
lent footway  for  travel.  To  the  south  and  the  west  were  the 
open  waters  of  Frobisher  Bay,  its  surface  dotted  over  with  broken 
ice,  which  was  quietly  floating  about.  This  however,  just  then, 
was  vexatious,  as  it  prevented  me  from  making  my  intended 
sledge-journey  to  the  westward.  Resolution  Island  and  Meta  In- 
cognita were  also  in  sight  (the  former  visible  on  the  horizon,  prob- 
ably by  refraction) ;  and  at  my  back  the  bold  mountains  seemed 
all  but  touching  me,  though  some  few  miles  distant. 

On  the  top  of  the  mountain  I  found  many  small  pieces  of  lime- 
stone, and,  while  collecting  some  of  them,  Annawa  and  two  other 
Innuits  joined  me.  They  had  come  for  the  purpose  of  looking 
out  to  see  if  any  seals  or  walrus  were  near ;  and  when,  through 
my  glass,  I  discovered  one,  they  were  off  immediately.  Soon  aft- 
erward I  perceived  them  on  the  ice  prepared  for  the  hunt. 


BLIND  GEORGE  AND  HIS  DAUGHTER  KOOKOOYER. 


259 


After  staying  on  the  summit  nearly  an  hour,  I  descended,  and 
found  a  substantial  Innuit  breakfast  of  walrus-meat  and  soup 
ready  for  me.  This  breakfast  had  been  prepared  by  Oonga,  wife 
of  Esheeloo,  both  of  whom  shared  Annawa's  igloo.  This  igloo  of 
Annawa's  was  adorned  on  the  exterior  with  a  score  of  walrus 
skulls  and  tusks.  The  family  had  lived  here,  as  I  have  already 
mentioned,  for  some  time  alone,  but  latterly  their  privacy  had 
been  much  invaded  by  somo  of  the  ship's  company,  and  by  sev- 
eral Innuits  from  the  North  Star  and  upper  villages.  Among 
these  latter  I  recognized  Miner,  with  his  wife  Tweroong,  and  Ar- 
tarkparu,  brother  of  Annawa.  There  was  also  Puto,  the  mother 
of  that  Anglo-Saxon  child  before  referred  to;  and  Paulooyer 
(Blind  George),  whom  I  noticed  facing  the  sun,  as  was  his  way 


BUND  OEOBOE  AND  mS  DACOnTEB. 


when  it  shines.  He  immediately  recognized  my  voice,  and  glad- 
ly greeted  me  when  I  hailed  him.  These,  and  many  more,  were 
domiciled  in  some  half  dozen  igloos  built  near  Annawa's;  but 
there  was  also  another  village,  called  Twer-jnd'-ju-a,  where  several 
Innuits  resided,  and  to  this,  after  breakfast,  I  bent  my  way,  tak- 
ing Koojesse  with  me. 
Before  starting,  I  delivered  every  thing  I  had,  as  was  custom- 


260  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

ary  with  the  Innuits,  into  the  hands  of  Nood-le-yong  for  safe 
keeping.  We  then  started  about  nine  o'clock,  taking  a  course 
over  the  hilly  centre  of  the  island.  Arriving  at  the  top,  I  heard 
a  sound  filling  the  air  as  if  something  was  sweeping  by.  It  was 
like  the  rush  of  many  waters,  or  the  groaning  of  ice  far  away.  I 
asked  Koojcsse  what  it  was,  and  he  replied,  Meituks  (ducks).  I 
thought  it  could  not  be  possible,  but  was  a  whimsical  reason 
given  by  Innuits  for  something  they  know  exists,  and  yet  can 
not  comprehend.  I  laughed,  shrugged  my  shoulders,  and  then 
passed  on. 

Wo  arrived  at  the  other  village  after  a  walk  of  about  three 
miles,  and  there  I  met  Mr.  Sterry,  the  George  Henry's  carpenter. 
lie  was  suffering  from  snow-blindness,  brought  on  by  exposure 
upon  the  ice  while  out  with  a  party  of  Innuits  walrus  hunting. 
He  had  obtained  leave  of  absence  from  his  duties  on  board,  and 
was  now  living  with  the  natives,  "  keeping  house"  (igloo)  as 
though  he  was  of  the  country. 

Together  we  went  on  a  hill  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  In- 
nuit  Miner,  who,  with  a  gun,  was  scaling.  We  saw  him  working 
his  way  almost  imperceptibly  along  in  his  ki-a  through  the  open- 
ings in  the  ice  toward  his  coveted  prey,  which  rested  quietly  un- 
conscious of  his  presence.  As  Miner  approached,  he  kept  up  a 
loud,  peculiar  noise,  a  mixture  of  Innuit  singing  and  bellowing, 
which  seemed  to  work  as  a  charm  upon  the  seal.  Every  few  mo- 
ments he  would  lay  down  his  gun  and  make  a  stroke  or  two  with 
his  long,  double-bladed  oar;  then  the  seal,  as  if  alarmed,  would 
seem  about  to  depart.  As  soon  as  the  slightest  motion  indicative 
of  this  appeared,  Miner  would  again  seize  his  gun  and  aim,  at 
the  same  time  vehemently  increasing  the  tones  of  his  seal-song. 
The  seal,  thus  again  charmed,  kept  quiet,  and  Miner  would  once 
more  take  to  his  oars,  thus  endeavoring  to  gradually  decrease  the 
distance  between  them.  So  it  occurred  for  several  times,  and  evi- 
dently Miner  had  great  hope  of  securing  a  good  prize,  but  sud- 
denly, and  when  the  hunter  was  almost  as  near  as  he  desired  to 
be,  the  seal  broke  away  from  the  "soothing  voice  of  the  charm- 
er," raised  its  head,  mixM  a  plunge,  and,  before  Miner  could  fire, 
disappeared.  Then  came  upon  our  ears,  as  we  looked  and  listen- 
ed, the  loud,  peculiar  ejaculation  of  disappointment,  J^-e-e-z^/i;.'  and 
no  wonder,  for  the  poor  hunter  lost  by  it  about  half  a  ton  of  fresh 
provisions.  I,  too,  owing  to  the  interest  I  felt,  was  also  nigh  hav- 
ing a  loss,  which,  though  not  so  important  as  his,  was  one  which  I 


ISLAND  OF  OOPUNGNEWING.  261 

did  not  tbcn  wish  to  experience.  A  meridional  observation  on 
the  ice  with  my  pocket  sextant  was  secured  only  just  in  time  to 
save  it. 

I  continued  my  wallv,  and  ascended  a  mountain  close  by,  pick- 
ing up  several  fossil  stones  on  its  summit,  and  enjoying  the  view 
around  me.  Soon  I  was  joined  by  the  Innuits  Kokerjabin  (Kud- 
lago's  widow)  and  Neitch-ee-yong,  both  of  whom  were  born  on 
the  shores  of  the  great  bay  before  us,  Kokerjabin  pointed  out  to 
me  the  place  of  her  nativity,  on  the'oppositc  side  of  the  bay,  call- 
ed by  her  Kar-mo-wong,  an  inlet  which  makes  its  way  up  into  the 
interior  of  Kingaitc  (Meta  Incognita).  She  said  that  from  a  high 
point  at  the  termination  of  that  inlet  she  had  often  seen  the  ooini- 
ens  of  Icodlunas  (ships  of  the  white  men)  pass  up,  and  then,  at  a 
later  time,  down  the  waters  which  were  on  the  other  side  of  Kin- 
gaitc. This  made  Kingaitc  to  be  merely  a  narrow  tongue  of  land, 
the  extreme  of  which,  as  Kokerjabin  stated  it  to  be,  I  could  see 
bearing  from  nio  by  azimuth  compass  102°,  or  true  bearing  S. 
16°  W.  Karmowong  bore  S.  51°  W.  true.  I  took  several  other 
observations  and  measurements  the  next  and  following  days,  for 
the  purpose  of  mapping  the  locality  and  accurately  placing  upon 
record  all  that  I  might  discover  bearing  upon  Frobisher's  expe- 
dition. My  sleeping  accommodations  at  night  were  with  the  na- 
tives in  their  igloo,  and  I  partook  of  their  food,  eating  it  even  as 
tbey  themselves  did,  and,  I  might  add,  thoroughly  enjoying  it. 

Thus  two  days  passed  away,  and  on  the  third,  which  was  April 
25th,  I  again  started  for  an  extension  of  my  trip. 

It  was  about  noon  when  I  left,  accompanied  by  Sterry,  Koker- 
jabin, and  her  son  "  Captain."  This  youth  of  twelve  years  would 
insist  upon  taking  with  him  a  toy  sledge,  to  which  "  Pink,"  a  lit- 
tle dog  of  a  few  months  old,  was  harnessed,  and,  as  he  made  it  a 
point  to  have  the  sledge,  I  was  obliged  to  let  it  be  taken  with  us. 

Our  first  five  miles  were  circuitous,  though  on  a  general  course 
(true)  of  about  W.N.W.  From  the  breaking  up  and  consequent 
absence  of  the  sea-ice,  which  had  occurred  two  days  before  my 
arrival,  we  were  obliged  to  follow  the  shore-ice,  walking  on  what 
Dr.  Kane  called  the  "/cf-/oo<."  Thus  we  wero  one  moment  this 
way,  the  next  that,  and  sometimes  walking  on  shore.  This  made 
it  very  difficult  to  get  on,  especially  as  the  tide  at  that  time  rose 
and  fell  full  thirty  feet ;  and,  besides,  the  frequent  change  from  ice 
to  land  was  no  easy  work. 

When  wo  had  gone  about  .'bur  miles,  an  old  Innuit  man  was 


262  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

seen  with  his  gun  quietly  seated  on  the  rocks  overlooking  the 
bay  and  watching  for  seals.  A  few  words  of  greeting  were  ex- 
changed, and  I  then  looked  around  the  place.  I  noticed  that 
about  here  there  was  quite  a  level  spot  of  ground  for  these  re- 
gions ;  and  what  more  particularly  attracted  my  attention  was  a 
complete  natural  breakwater  of  stones,  evidently  thrown  up  by 
the  heavy  seas.  The  side  next  the  sea  was  sloping  at  an  angle 
of  40°,  and  that  facing  the  flat  of  land,  which  it  protected,  about 
50°.  The  stones  were  of  every  variety  of  shape,  tliough  not  much 
worn,  and  weighing  from  one  to  twenLy-five  pounds. 

On  this  flat  portion  of  land  I  perceived  many  signs  of  its  hav- 
ing been  the  frequent  resort  of  Innuits  during  the  summer  months 
— circles  of  stones  for  keeping  down  the  skins  which  form  their 
tents;  bones  of  walrus  and  reindeer  were  also  numerous.  Here, 
too,  I  saw,  to  my  surprise,  ship's  blocks,  iron  hoops  >'wo  and  a  half 
inches  wide,  part  of  a  coffee-pot,  preserved  meat  canisters,  an  oak- 
en bucket  in  good  order,  and  several  pieces  of  wood,  all,  as  I  aft- 
erward conjectured,  formerly  belonging  to  the  "  Traveller,"  an  En- 
glish whaling  vessel  lost  three  years  previous  near  "  Bear  Sound," 
about  thirty  miles  nearer  the  sea. 

It  was  at  this  place  we  lunched,  and  bad  the  pleasure  of  finding 
abundance  of  water  on  the  rocks  to  quench  our  thirst.  Ilere,  on 
a  point  of  land  called  by  the  Innuits  Evictoon,  was  a  native  mon- 
ument such  as  they  usually  erect  on  prominent  places. 

As  we  were  about  to  resume  our  march,  two  seals  were  discov- 
ered in  the  sun  near  some  cracked  ice.  Immediately  the  old  man 
started  off  to  try  his  rusty  gun  npon  them,  at  first  stumbling  hur- 
riedly over  some  broken  ice  that  intervened,  and  then  proceeding 
very  cautiously.  When  within  forty  rods  he  lay  down  upon  his 
front,  and  kneed,  footed,  and  bellied  himself  along,  not  unlike  the 
movements  of  the  seals  he  was  afler.  But,  as  in  Miner's  case,  a 
moment  afterward  his  prey,  taking  the  alarm,  rose  up,  and  with  a 
plunge  instantly  disappeared.  The  old  man  jumped  up,  crying 
aloud  E-e-e-uk  !  and  walked  on. 

As  we  traveled  forward  the  mountains  of  Kingaite  loomed  up  in 
magnificent  grandeur,  and,  on  looking  at  them,  something  struck 
me  as  it  had  done  when  first  viewing  the  place  in  August,  1860, 
that  more  than  mere  land  existed  there.  It  seemed  as  if  a  huge 
ice  ridge  ran  along  parallel  with  the  coast,  uniting  mountain  with 
mountain  and  peak  with  peak.  Seeing  how  intent  I  was  upon 
this,  Kokerjabin  readily  answered  my  inquiry  as  tc  what  it  really 


NIGHT-TRAVELING  ON  THE  ICE.  263 

was.    In  reply,  she  said  "  it  was  solid  ice,  and  never  had  she  known 
it  to  change  its  appearance,  either  in  summer  or  fall." 

This  was  enough.  I  immediately  concluded  that  there  were 
glaciers  over  there,  and  certainly  the  one  I  then  looked  at  ap- 
peared to  be  not  less  than  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  long.  But,  as  I 
afterward  visited  the  locality,  I  shall  reserve  farther  mention  of 
them  till  I  come  to  another  part  of  my  narrative. 

About  dusk  we  reached  the  south  point  of  the  island  Nou- 
yarn,*  where  we  had  expected  to  find  an  Innuit  village,  the  place 
of  our  intended  visit.  But,  to  our  disappointment  and  vexation, 
the  settlement  was  not  there.  Within  two  hundred  fathoms  of 
the  shore  we  saw  sledge-tracks  leading  from  the  land  out  into 
the  bay,  and  thence  northward  and  westward.  Here,  also,  on  the 
ice,  we  saw  two  double-barreled  guns  standing  up  in  the  snow, 
and  an  Esquimaux  lamp ;  but  not  a  human  being  besides  our- 
selves was  there.  We  knew  not  what  to  do.  Dark  and  cold,  we 
should  undoubtedly  suffer  much  if  unable  to  get  shelter.  What 
could  we  do?  We  might,  for  a  while,  follow  the  slcdgc-tracks, 
but  not  long,  as  the  darkness  was  upon  us.  Eight  o'clock,  and 
we  had  neither  shelter,  food,  nor  light.  Even  to  keep  warmth  in 
us  for  a  moment,  it  was  necessary  to  be  in  action,  or  the  chances 
were  we  should  freeze;  and  to  remain  so  all  night,  we  might  per- 
ish. Sterry  proposed  that  we  should  return  to  the  igloos  we  had 
left  in  the  morning,  but  to  this  Kokerjabin  and  myself  objected. 
The  best  thing  we  could  do,  as  I  thought,  was  to  follow  the  tracks, 
and,  if  not  meeting  with  Innuits,  build  an  igloo  and  make  the  best 
of  it.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  again  we  started  forward,  Koker- 
jabin leading  the  way,  which  she  did  most  admirably,  guiding  us 
here  and  there  among  numerous  inlets,  without  once  being  in  the. 
wrong  or  confused. 

The  moon  had  now  risen  from  her  sea-bed,  but  looked  as  if 
guilty  of  some  wicked  act,  being  both  horribly  distorted  and  red 
in  the  face !  But  the  higher  up  she  got,  the  better  was  her  ap- 
pearance, and  the  greater  was  her  usefulness  to  us  night-travelers. 
At  length,  about  half  past  ten,  and  when  we  had  gone  some  three 
miles  farther,  Kokerjabin  brought  us  to  a  small  island  called  An- 
nu-ar-twig,  where  she  expected  to  find  the  Innuits. 

We  listened ;  we  strained  our  eyes  for  an  igloo  light,  but  in 
vain ;  not  a  sound,  not  a  glimmer  of  any  thing  we  had  hoped  for 
met  our  ears  or  our  eyes.     Still,  we  determined  to  bo  thoroughly 

*  Lnt.  62°  55'  N.,  long.  65°  62'  W. 


264  AUCTIC  RESEAIiClI  EXPEDITION. 

convinced,  and  accordingly  tried  to  get  on  shore.  This,  however, 
oven  in  daylight,  would  have  been  a  difficult  task  where  there  was 
so  great  a  rise  and  fall  in  the  tide  as  thirty  feet,  but  at  night  wo 
found  it  a  terrible  job.  At  last  it  was  accomplished ;  and  looking 
about  for  the  igloos,  and  meeting  with  none,  it  was  finally  settled 
that  we  should  have  some  supper  before  trying  any  thing  more. 

Our  stock  of  food  consisted  of  a  small  piece  of  "salt  junk"  and 
some  few  pieces  of  hard  bread,  all  of  which  I  had  bi'ought  from 
the  vessel  with  me;  nevertheless,  every  mouthful  we  took  was 
delicious  to  our  hungry  appetites.  But  the  thirst!  how  could  wo 
([uench  it?  Wc  had  nothing  by  which  to  make  snow-water,  and 
we  had  vainly  searched  the  rocks  around  for  some.  Every  parti- 
cle was  firmly  locked  up  in  the  fingers  of  zero  cold.  "  T/iirst, 
most  thirsty  I"  wo  had  to  say,'and,  in  sooth,  to  remain  thirsty. 

The  next  thing  wc  did  was  to  build  an  igloo,  where,  at  all 
events,  something  like  shelter  could  be  obtained,  and  warmth  by 
clustering  together.  Four  human  stoves,  besides  as  many  heat- 
ing, smoking  tobacco-pipes,  would  help  to  make  us  passably  com- 
fortable ;  and  so  wc  found. 

Kokerjabin,  the  inastcr-mason,  aided  by  Sterry,  built  the  igloo 
out  of  a  snow-bank  which  faced  a  ledge  of  rocks  running  length- 
wise of  the  island — under  the  lee  of  which,  fortunately,  it  was — 
while  I  and  the  Innuit  boy  went  upon  the  higher  part  of  the  land 
seeking  for  water.  The  igloo  completed,  on  lying  down  wc  found 
that  it  was  too  limited,  and  that  wc  should  be  inconveniently  and 
perhaps  injuriously  cramped ;  therefore  a  remedy  must  be  found, 
and  this  was  by  cutting  "  pigeon-holes"  in  the  snow-bank/or  ou7- 
feet.  This  answered,  and  soon  we  were  fast  asleep,  though  upon 
a  bed  of  snow,  and  at  my  back  a  snow-bank. 

Toward  morning  I  felt  myself  getting  very  cold,  and,  to  warm 
us  up,  it  was  judged  wise  for  all  to  smoke,  which  was  done  most 
agreeably.  I  then  cut  a  doorway,  and  crawled  out  of  the  igloo  on 
all-fours.  The  wind  was  fresh  and  piercing  from  the  east,  and,  to 
get  some  circulation  in  our  veins,  Sterry  and  I  made  a  run  to  the 
top  of  a  hill.  There  wc  had  a  good  look  around,  and  then  de- 
scended, but  on  arriving  at  the  igloo  wc  found  Kokerjabin  and 
her  son  gone.  We  therefore  followed  in  their  tracks,  and  soon 
overtook  them  on  the  highest  point  of  the  island.  Presently 
Kokerjabin  discovered,  through  the  glass,  some  igloos  on  an  isl- 
and farther  on.  To  these  we  immediately  determined  to  bend  our 
steps,  more  especially  as  Kokerjabin  said  she  knew  the  island 


AUUIVAL  AT  SAMl'SONVS.  265 

well,  and  had  often  resided  there.  It  was  cnWcd  Ak-koo-m'c-slmt- 
/ou-jnti'j*  One  hour's  walk  across  the  ieo  brought  us  close  to 
it.  Ice  boulders,  however,  always  between  the  sea-ico  and  the 
"  ice-foot,"  gave  us  the  usual  trouble  in  getting  on  shore ;  but,  this 
over,  we  soon  found  ourselves,  to  my  great  joy,  among  familiar 
laces.  The  first  I  saw  was  Sampson,  who,  taking  mo  kindly  by 
the  hand,  scj^ueezcd  it,  hugged  it,  2^iit(cd  it,  and  then  led  me  into  his 
igloo. 

It  was  an  early  hour  for  them,  and  his  family  were  still  in  bed, 
yet  they  all  arose  and  heartily  welcomed  me.  Food,  and  especial- 
ly ivakr,  was  plentifully  put  before  me,  and  I  need  not  say  how 
gratefully  I  partook  of  both.  Four  largo  igloos  were  there,  each, 
occupied  by  two  families.  The  bay  being  partially  frozen  over, 
the  men  were  preparing  to  start  on  a  grand  scaling  excursion  to- 
ward Kingaite,  which  hero  seemed  to  bo  only  about  twenty-five 
miles  ofl".  Two  of  the  women  accompanied  this  party,  and  before 
they  left  I  arranged  with  Sampson  to  stay  in  his  igloo  until  he 
returned.  His  wife  was  sick,  and  with  her  two  daughters  she  re- 
mained to  "  keep  house." 

Sampson  and  his  party  started  about  8  A.M.  of  Thursday,  April 
25th,  and  at  noon. a  snow-storm  raged  so  furiously  that  some  fears 
were  entertained  for  their  safety  ;  but  they  returned  in  the  after- 
noon, having  captured  one  fine  seal.  A  feast,  as  usual,  followed ; 
and  here  I  noticed  for  the  first  time  an  Innuit  custom  of  giving  to 
the  youngest  child  (he  seat's  eyes.  That  night,  while  in  bed,  I  re- 
ceived a  rather  unwelcome  visitor  in  the  following  way : 

It  has  been  justly  said  that  "knowledge  is  often  ])Hr.sucd  under 
dilTiculties,"  but  in  my  ease  the  knowledge  I  desired  came  to  me 
instead  of  my  seeking  it. 

I  was  desirous  of  making  myself  acquainted  with  the  tides  in 
that  region,  and  took  every  opportunity  to  investigate  the  subject; 
but,  on  the  night  in  question,  between  seven  and  eight  o'clock,  the 
tide  came  poiiriiKj  into  the  i(/loo,  threatening  destruction  to  all  with- 
in it.  The  full  moon,  by  Greenwich  time,  was,  April  24th,  10  h. 
23  m.,  and,  consequently,  the  highest  rise  of  the  tide  would  here  be 
some  forty  hours  after.  I  had  watched  for  it  during  some  time, 
and  finally  retired  to  my  tuktoo  furs,  little  expecting  it  would 
show  itself  to  me  by  my  bedside  in  the  way  it  did ;  but  such  a 
proof  was  enough.  From  it  I  ascertained  that  the  rise  of  tide  at 
full  and  change  was  thirty  feet.    Fortunately,  the  tidal  flow  and 

*  In  lat.  02°  5G'  N.,  long.  05°  57'  W. 


266  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

abrupt  inundation  produced  no  serious  damage,  though  it  gave 
work  to  the  females  of  the  igloo,  who  hurriedly  secured  the  fur 
dresses  and  other  valuables  from  the  salt  water. 

It  was  strange  to  me  to  see  them  cleaning  or  currying  the  seal- 
skins. The  mouth  of  the  female  currier  served  as  a  deposit  for 
all  the  scrapings,  and  the  tongue  was  kept  in  constant  requisition 
to  keep  free  the  scraper,  a  dish  being  by  to  receive  the  contents 
of  the  mouth  when  full. 

The  scrapings  of  board,  hands,  etc.,  all  went  first  to  the  mouth, 
then  to  the  dish,  and  thence  to  the  dogs  I 

The  storm  continued  during  the  following  day,  and  I  remained 
where  I  was,  studying  more  and  more  the  hnbits  of  this  strange 
people,  and  endeavoring  to  give  some  elementary  instruction  to 
the  children. 

Our  breakfast  and  dinner  were  both  excellent ;  for  the  former, 
raw  frozen  walrus,  of  which  I  had  a  piece  for  my  share  of  about 
five  pounds,  and  at  the  latter,  seal.  The  portion  of  this  allot- 
ted to  me  and  Sterry  was  the  head.  We  complied  with  the  In- 
nuit  custom.  Sterry  took  a  mouthful,  then  passed  it  to  me,  and 
when  I  had  done  tlie  same  it  was  returned  to  him,  and  so  on.  Of 
course  fingers  were  all  in  all.  No  knives  and  forks  are  found 
among  the  Innuits;  fingers  and  teeth  are  more  than  their  equiv- 
alent. 

When  the  meat,  skin,  and  hair  were  all  dispatched — even  the 
eyes,  except  the  balls,  which  were  given  to  the  youngest  child  of 
Sampson — we  "  tapped"  the  brain.  I  was  surprised  at  the  amount 
of  a  seal's  brains,  and  equally  so  at  the  dcliciousness  of  them ! 
The  skull  was  almost  as  thin  as  paper.  Shoot  a  seal  in  the  head 
and  it  dies.  Shoot  a  walrus  in  the  head,  and  the  damage  is  to  the 
hall,  which  immediately  flattens,  without  effecting  any  injury  what- 
ever to  the  walrus. 

Later  in  the  day  I  attended  another  feast  in  the  igloo  of  Koo- 
kin,  who  had  invited  his  old  mother,  Shel-hc-ar-pinrj,  and  two  oth- 
er venerable  dames,  and  I  must  say  that  if  my  friends  at  home 
could  then  have  seen  how  like  an  Innuit  I  ate,  they  would  have 
blushed  for  me. 

First  came  a  portion  of  seal's  liver,  raw  and  warm  from  its  late 
existence  in  full  life.  This,  with  a  slice  of  oohsook  (blubber),  was 
handed  to  each,  and  I  made  away  with  mine  as  quick  as  any  of 
the  old  adepts.  Then  came  ribs  inclosed  in  tender  meat,  dripping 
with  blood.    How  ambrosial  to  my  palate !    Lastly  came — what  ? 


THE  SEAL-FEAST.— AUTHOR  BECOMES  AN  ANGEKO.        267 

Entrails^  which  the  old  lady  drew  through  her  fingers  yards  in 
length.  This  was  served  to  every  one  but  me  in  pieces  of  two 
to  three  feet  long.  I  saw  at  once  that  it  was  supposed  I  would 
not  liice  to  eat  this  delicacy;  but,  having  partaken  of  it  before,  I 
signified  my  wish  to  do  so  now ;  for,  be  it  remembered,  there  is  no 
part  of  a  seal  hut  is  good.  I  drew  the  ribbon-like  food  through 
my  teeth  Innuit  fashion;  finished  it,  and  then  asked  for  more.  This 
immensely  pleased  the  old  dames.  They  were  in  ecstasies.  It 
seemed  as  if  they  thought  me  the  best  of  the  group.  They  laugh- 
ed —  they  bestowed  upon  me  all  the  most  pleasant  epithets  their 
language  would  admit  I  was  one  of  them — one  of  the  honored 
few  I 

Soon  as  this  round  of  feasting  was  ended,  one  of  the  old  lady 
Innuits  drew  my  attention  to  her  afilictions.  Sic  bad  a  dreadful 
pain  in  her  side  and  back,  and  had  been  badly  troubled  for  weeks. 
Before  I  had  time  for  thought,  she  drew  off  her  long-tailed  coat 
over  her  head,  and  sai  there  before  me  nude  as  Nature  made  her. 
The  laughing  face  and  the  joyful,  ringing  voice  of  the  old  lady 
were  now  exchanged  for  expressions  indicative  of  suffering  and 
the  need  of  sympathy.  The  whole  party  present  wove  now  absorb- 
ed in  the  subject  before  me.  I  put  on  as  long  and  ugniflcd  a  face 
as  I  could  in  this  trijing  scene,  and,  as  much  was  evidently  ex- 
pected from  mc,  I  was  determined  no  disappointment  should  fol- 
low. Therefore  I  proceeded  to  manipulate  the  parts  affected,  or, 
rather,  plotoed  my  fingers  in  the  rich  loam — real  estate — that  cov- 
ered the  ailing  places.  The  result  was  that  I  gave  notice  that  she 
should  live  on,  eating  as  much  fresh  seal  and  walrus  as  she  want- 
ed, drinking  water  several  times  a  day,  and  applying  the  same 
amount  at  the  end  of  every  ten  days  that  she  had  drank  in  that 
time  to  the  outside  of  her  body  by  the  process  of  scrubbing,  which 
I  there  and  then  practically  explained  to  her  and  the  others.  I 
told  her,  moreover,  that  as  the  suk-e-neir  (sun)  was  day  by  day 
getting  higher  and  higher,  she  must  keep  herself  warm  and  dry, 
and  then,  in  my  opinion,  she  would  soon  be  quite  relieved. 

So  caressingly  did  I  finger  the  old  lady's  side  during  the  deliv- 
ery of  my  impromptu  advice,  that  she  declared  I  was  the  best  an- 
geko  she  had.  known,  and  positively  she  felt  much  better  already. 
Placing  on  her  coat,  she  then  jumped  up  and  ran  away  to  her  own 
igloo  as  lively  as  a  cricket. 

During  tue  time  I  was  stopping  in  Sampson's  igloo  I  made  ev- 
ery inquiry  possible  about  the  tradition  concerning  ships  entering 


268  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

the  bay  a  long  time  ago ;  but  I  was  unable,  from  my  then  slender 
knowledge  of  tbeir  language,  to  get  intelligible  answers.  There- 
fore I  had  still  to  remain  patient  about  it. 

The  following  day,  Saturday,  April  27th,  wc  commenced  our  re- 
turn ;  but  it  was  cold  and  stormy,  and,  as  I  bad  left  some  of  my 
fur  dress  at  Annawa's,  I  sought  to  borrow  reindeer  trowsers,  mits, 
and  socks  there.  These  I  readily  obtained ;  but  the  first-mention- 
ed article  being  too  small  for  my  dimensions,  one  of  the  Innuit 
women  slit  them  down  with  her  oodloo  till  they  did  fit,  after  a  fash- 
ion. But,  on  attempting  to  move,  I  was  as  if  in  a  vice.  I  could 
not  walk,  I  could  not  run,  nor  could  I  seat  myself;  I  could  only 
ivaddle  and  tumble  down  !  On  the  ice  in  front  of  the  igloos  I  tried 
to  get  on,  but  you,  my  reader,  should  have  been  there  to  have 
seen  and  enjoyed  the  sight  I  presented,  and  to  have  heard  the 
ringing,  side-splitting  laughter  of  this  generous-hearted  and  kind 
band  of  Innuits  at  the  grotesque  figure  I  cut  in  old  Seko's  skin- 
tight breeches.  A  sledge  drawn  by  dogs  had  been  loaned  to  us, 
and  upon  this  I  threw  myself;  but,  long  after  our  departure,  on 
my  looking  back,  I  could  see  the  merry  lot  slill  watching,  and  ap- 
parently enjoying  the  fun  I  had  created. 

Our  sledge  went  Hist,  the  dogs  being  good  ones,  with  an  excel- 
lent Innuit  driver,  Ning-u-ar-ping,  the  son  of  Sampson  and  Kok- 
erjabin.  Ou  the  smooth  clear  ice,  which  extended  from  Samp- 
son's village  to  where  we  had  first  halted  on  our  way  up,  our 
progress  was  very  rapid.  As  wc  passed  the  island  where  we  had 
spent  the  night  before  meeting  the  Innuits,  I  saw  our  igloo  still 
standing.  A  little  farther  on,  I  observed  to  the  north  a  peculiar 
mark — the  work  of  Nature — by  the  westliide  of  the  entrance  to 
Newton's  Fiord,  standing  out  boldly  upon  one  of  the  mountains. 
On  inquiry,  I  found  it  was  considered  by  the  natives  as  a  nmark- 
able  spot,  known  to  them  from  time  immemorial.  It  was  called 
Tnrj-ec.  AVhosoever  would  know  what  this  means,  let  him  confi- 
dentially ask  an  Ksquimaux  man. 

After  some  miles'  travel  we  came  to  a  depot  of  walrus  flesh, 
made  by  Sampson's  people  on  a  previous  occasion ;  and  here,  after 
loading  from  it,  the  sledge  left  us  on  its  return. 

Sterry  and  I,  Kokerjabin  and  Captain,  then  walked  on,  and, 
after  a  tedious  journey  of  about  fifty  miles — though  dircol  only 
some  twenty  from  the  village — we  arrived  at  Twerpuljua  at  {• 
P.M.,  so  thoroughly  fatigued  as  to  be  right  glad  of  the  friendly 
beds  immediately  offered  us. 


< 

THE  SNOW  VILLAGE.— A  SUNDAY  PICTUllE.  271 

Next  morning  I  arose  mucli  refreshed,  and  took  a  walk  on  the 
neighboring  hill.  The  ice  had  before  parted  and  left  the  bay  al- 
most free,  but  I  was  greatly  astonished  at  the  immense  number 
of  ducks  I  saw  swimming  about.  For  miles  and  miles  around 
the  waters  were  literally  covered  and  black  with  them,  making 
such  a  thundering,  indescribable  medley  of  sounds  as  quite  st;irt- 
led  me.  Talk  about  the  "  absence  of  life"  in  these  regions  of  ice 
and  snow !  Why,  before  my  eyes  were  countless  numbers  of 
animated  creatures,  from  the  winged  fowl  of  the  sea  to  the  seal 
and  walrus ! 

What  do  all  these  creatures  live  upon  ?  Why  are  they  here  ? 
The  waters  must  be  alive  with  other  innumerable  creatures !  Soon 
"great  whales"  will  be  here,  and  for  what?  L«  there  food  for 
them  here  too  ? 

At  9  A.M.  I  left  Twerpukjua,  and  directed  my  way  to  Anna- 
wa's,  at  the  island  of  Oopungnewing,  where  I  arrived  in  due 
course,  and  was  kindly  welcomed  as  usual.  Noodleyong  was 
busy  sewing  skins  together  for  making  the  summer  tupic  or  tent, 
and  Annawa,  with  other  men,  were  out  sealing.  In  the  afternoon 
these  latter  returned,  and  we  had  the  customary  feast  in  the  open 
air. 

It  was  Sunday,  and  I  could  not  help  thoughtfully  looking  upon 
the  scene  before  me.  There  was  the  snow  village  of  pure  white 
.  igloos,  with  their  load-lings  and  took-soos  embellished  by  trophies 
of  the  walrus  hunts.  A  score  of  laughing,  happy,  untutored,  un- 
x;ivilized,  and  "  unchristianized"  sons  and  daughters  of  the  North 
were  around  or  near  mc.  There  was  a  group  on  my  right  com- 
mencing the  feast;  three  women,  that  had  been  out  gathering 
M]-)  (seaweed)  ivs  an  article  of  food,  coming  up  from  the  beach ; 
Annawa  and  his  sealing  company  drawing  up  their  kias  on  the 
floe-ice  seaward ;  open  water  near  by  covered  with  ducks ;  Blind 
George  standing  in  front  of  Bob's  igloo,  facing  and  welcoming 
the  sun's  warm  rays ;  a  number  of  boys  drawing  another  captured 
seal  across  the  rugged  ice  lining  the  sliore ;  and  one  young  urchin 
with  a  brace  of  ducks  newly  shot.  In  the  narrow  distance  were 
some  icebergs  and  floating  mnsses  of  ice,  and  behind,  as  well  as 
tar  off,  the  bold  mountains,  wliieh  gave  a  grandeur  to  the  view. 

The  next  morning,  April  29th,  accompanied  by  Esheeloo  and 
his  wife  Oonga,  I  started  on  foot  for  the  ship  in  Eescue  Harbor,  a 
distance  of  about  twenty  miles. 

Part  of  the  way  was  over  broken  ice,  and  this  made  the  jour- 


» 

272  AllCTIC  KESEARCII  EXPEDITION. 

ney  both  tedious  and  difficult.  At  noon  we  were  at  the  foot  of 
Bayard  Taylor  Pass  leading  to  Field  Bay,  and  after  a  lunch  we 
walked  on  over  the  land,  stopping  a  moment  at  the  half-way  sta- 
tion for  a  drink  of  delicious  water,  and  arrived  on  the  other  side 
at  4  P.M. 

Field  Bay  had  firm  ice  upon  it,  and  over  this  we  traveled  as 
rapidly  as  we  could,  finally  reaching  the  ship  at  8  P.M.,  having 
been  just  twelve  hours  on  the  way. 


oon-i.oo,  OB  woman'^  knife. 
The  iIln?tratioii  oiip  lliird  the  Kize  of  the  originftl. 
In  the  hnnila  of  nn  rpquiiimux  woinnn,  this  simple  iiiatruinent,  mnde  of  Iwne  nnd  iron  (the  iirc  Biiii. 
ply  edged  with  Iron),  i«  equivalent  to  tlie  kuife,  hatchet,  ecrnper,  and  shears  of  clvUlzntiun. 


AUTHOR  PABTIALLY  SNOW-BLIND.  278 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Snow-blindness. — Month  of  May.  —  Ship  released  from  her  Ice-fetters. — A  spirited 
Scene. — Sledge-dogs  at  full  Speed. — "Bob,"  the  Angeko. — Falling  Igloos  —An- 
ecdote of  Bob. — Terrific  Encounter  with  a  Bear. — A  Toss  in  the  Air. — A  power- 
ful .Innuit. — The  aged  Woman,  Ookijoxy  Ninoo. — Tookoolito  Interpreter. — Im- 
portant Information. — Traditions  relating  to  White  Men  very  many  Years  ago. — 
Ships  with  many  People  had  arrived. — Two  Innuit  Women  taken  away. — Five 
Innuits  killed  by  White  Men.  —  Five  White  Men  among  the  Innuits.  —  Written 
History  confirmed  by  Oral  Tradition. — Barrow's  History  of  Arctic  Discovery. — 
Relics  of  the  White  Men  to  be  found. — Wood,  Coal,  Brick,  Iron. — Innuits  must 
possess  the  Truth  concerning  Franklin's  Expedition. — More  Information. — The 
Dreaded  Land.— Preparations  for  Summer  Work. — Illness  of  Tookoolito. — Ex- 
ploration at  Head  of  Field  Bay.— Dangerous  Traveling  on  the  Ice.— Pools  of 
Water  formed. — Arrive  on  Land.— Extensive  View.— A  beautiful  Grassy  Plain. 
—Comparison  with  Greenland.- Lands  behind  the  Coast,  at  this  Part,  very  fer- 
tile.— Reindeer  numerous. — Return  to  the  Ship. 

Directly  after  my  arrival  on  board,  on  April  29th,  1861, 1  had 
a  good  wash,  which  I  stood  much  in  need  of.  I  then  found  that 
snow-blindness  had  come  upon  me.  During  the  journey  I  had 
felt  some  difficulty  in  sighting  the  way,  but  did  not  experience 
any  pain.  Now,  however,  my  face  burned  as  if  on  fire,  and  my 
eyes  were  intolerably  painful.  My  cheeks  were  much  the  color 
of  tanned  hide,  and  all  about  my  features  gave  unmistakable  ev- 
idence of  exposure  to  severe  weather. 

That  night  I  again  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  taking  off  my  skin 
dress,  which  I  had  not  been  able  to  do  for  the  previous  eight 
days.  But  my  snow-blindness,  which  is  attended  with  most  ex- 
cruciating pain,  allowed  me  little  rest,  and  the  next  morning  found 
me  so  bad  that  I  could  hardly  do  any  thing. 

It  was  now  the  last  day  of  April,  1861,  and  many  symptoms 
of  a  change  from  winter  to  summer  (the  only  real  changes  during 
the  year  in  arctic  climes)  were  observable.  True,  a  heavy  snow- 
storm was  prevailing,  but  the  weather  was  much  milder  than  it 
had  been,  and  the  ice  was  beginning  to  yield.  In  the  morning 
the  ship  was  released  from  her  ice-fetters,  and  had  lifted  herself 
up  full  two  feet,  showing  how  much  lighter  she  had  become 
through  the  consumption  of  stores  since  the  period  of  freezing  in. 

"S 


274  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

On  the  3d  of  May,  which  was  a  beautiful  and  warm  day,  Ebi- 
erbirig  and  Tookoolito  arrived,  with  all  their  effects,  intending  to 
stay  with  me  until  I  was  ready,  as  previously  arranged,  to  leave 
for  King  William's  Land.  They  were  well,  and  had  got  through 
the  interval  since  I  had  last  seen  them  in  the  usual  precarious 
manner,  sometimes  with,  sometimes  without  success  in  sealing, 
so  alternately  with  or  without  food. 

The  following  morning  we  had  another  snow-storm,  which  con- 
tinued with  slight  intermissions  for  several  days. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  Captain  B ,  wishing  the  dogs  to  be  well 

fed  previous  to  being  employed  in  transporting  the  whale-boats, 
stores,  etc.,  over  to  the  whaling  depot  at  Cape  True,  asked  several 
of  the  Innuits  to  take  them  over  to  Oopungnewing,  where  there 
was  plenty  of  walrus  skin  and  meat ;  but  one  and  all  refused. 
They  said  "the  weather  was  too  bad;"  whereupon  I  volunteered 
to  go  with  any  Innuit  that  would  accompany  me ;  but,  finally,  the 
gale  having  abated,  Captain  B himself  determined  to  go,  tak- 
ing with  him  two  of  the  Esquimaux,  who  at  last  consented  to  ac- 
company him. 

There  were  twenty-five  dogs,  and  these  we  had  harnessed  to  a 
sledge  by  the  Innuits  Charley  and  Jim  Crow,  who  were  ready  to 

start.    Captain  B went  ahead,  and  I,  following  with  the  sledge, 

soon  overtook  him,  but  not  until  I  had  seen  a  good  specimen  of 
dog-driving. 

At  the  beginning  it  was  slow  work  to  get  the  dogs  under  way, 
but,  once  on  the  start,  away  they  went,  pell-mell  together,  and  swift- 
ly, over  the  fair  white  snow.  It  was  amusing  to  see  my  Green- 
land dogs,  with  the  others,  weo,ving  and  knitting,  braiding  and 
banding  their  traces  into  knots  and  webs  that  apparently  would 
defy  human  devices  to  unravel.  One  dog  would  leap  over  the 
backs  of  a  dozen  others ;  another  dog,  receiving  the  snap  of  the 
thirty-feet  lash  in  the  driver's  hands,  thinking  it  the  work  of  his 
nearest  neighbor,  would  seize  him,  as  if  to  repay  it  by  a  ten-fold 
severer  snap ;  then  the  rest  would  join  in  the  fray,  till  all  became 
involved  in  a  regular  dog-fight.  It  was  a  picture  to  sec  these 
twenty-five  dogs  flying  almost  with  the  speed  of  wind  over  the 
frozen  surface  of  the  deep  snow.  But,  after  joining  the  captain 
and  resigning  to  him  my  place,  it  was  not  quite  so  pleasant  for 
me  to  return.  I  had  but  light  garments  on,  and  the  weather  was 
still  severe.  However,  the  distance  was  not  far,  and  I  reached 
the  ship  without  much  difficulty. 


TERRL'J'IC  ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  BEAR.  275 

Captain  B ,  to  m;y  astonishment,  returned  on  tl|e  following 

day  at  about  10  P.M.  He  had  duly  arrived  at  Oopungnewing; 
was  hospitably  received  in  Bob's  igloo  for  the  night ;  and,  having 
supplied  himself  with  a  load  of  walrus  meat — indeed,  he  might 
have  had  half  a  dozen  loads,  so  abundant  was  the  supply  at  that 
time — and  preferring  to  return  rather  than  stay  where  the  igloos 
were  about  tumbling  down,  owing  to  the  moist  weather,  he  came 
back  in  the  midst  of  the  continuous  storm.  The  labor  of  getting 
over  the  Bayard  Taylor  Pass  was  very  severe  to  him,  especially 
at  the  steep  ascent  on  the  other  side.  He  could  only  make  two 
or  three  steps  before  he  was  obliged  to  rest,  each  step  carrying 
him  thigh  deep  into  the  soft  snow. 

With  the  captain  came  "  Bob"  and  his  wife  "  Polly ;"  but  this 
time  Bob  came  in  a  professional  capacity.  lie  was  a  doctor,  or, 
rather,  an  angeko,  and  now  oame  to  visit  the  sick  mother  of 
Sharkey. 

The  following  day  I  chanced  to  witness  him  engaged  at  the 
work.  I  was  walking  among  the  ruined  igloos,  which,  having 
fallen  down,  had  been  nearly  all  replaced  by  skin  tents,  when  I 
heard  the  peculiar  sound  of  ankooting  close  by.  It  was  near  the 
tupic  of  Ar-iung-img,  mother  of  Sharkey ;  but  I  did  not  enter,  for 
generally  no  one  but  the  family  is  allowed  to  be  present  on  such 
occasions ;  and,  though  one  can  not  help  pitying  the  superstitious 
feeling  that  directs  them  to  this,  yet  why  should  any  of  us  make 
light  of  it?  They  are  earnest  in  the  matter,  and  only  follow  the 
customs  of  their  fathers  for  generations  before  them.  Possibly, 
however,  it  may  yet  be  the  honor  of  our  country,  through  some 
noble-hearted  Christian  philanthropist,  to  bring  them  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  one  true  God. 

The  Innuit  Bob  was  a  man  that  every  one  of  us  highly  esteem- 
ed. I  have  before  alluded  to  him  in  warm  terms,  and  I  will  now 
mention  a  circumstance  which  belonged  to  the  romantic  incidents 
of  his  life. 

In  the  winter  of  1854-5,  he  and  a  companion,  with  some  dogs, 
attacked  a  large  polar  bear.  Ills  companion's  name  was  Se-nik- 
too — "  Moose,"  as  called  by  the  whalers.  lie  afterward,  in  1858, 
died  at  Allen's  Island,  leaving  a  widow — the  Puto  whom  I  have 
frequently  named. 

Moose  fired  at  the  bear,  when  it  rushed  toward  them.  Bob 
stood  his  ground  until  he  too  had  fired,  and  then  immediately 
turned  and  ran;  but  the  next  moment  the  bear  was  upon  him, 


276  ARCTIC  llESEARCn  EXPEDITION. 

and,  seizing  his  left  shoalder  in  its  jaws,  threw  him  high  over  its 
head,  as  if  he  had  been  a  mere  bag  of  feathers  I  Bob  fell  about 
four  fathoms  off,  and  was  getting  up,  when  the  bear  again  laid 
hold  of  him,  this  time  by  the  leg,  and  gave  him  another  toas.  The 
dogs,  however,  now  managed  to  keep  the  animal  at  bay;  and 
Moose  coming  to  Bob's  aid,  they  bravely  renewed  the  attack,  un- 
til at  length  these  courageous  Innuits  succeeded  in  conquering 
the  brute.  Unfortunately,  they  lost  him  after  all  their  trouble, 
for  the  ice  broke,  and  the  tide  swept  their  prize  away. 

I  saw  the  scars  of  the  wounds  inflicted  by  this  monster.  Bob 
taking  off  his  reindeer  dress  in  the  main  cabin  to  gratify  me. 

Captain  B said  that  the  laceration  was  terrible,  for  he  had 

seen  it  a  few  days  after  the  occurrence,  and  administered  such  re- 
lief as  was  in  his  power.  Bob  was  undoubtedly  a  powerful  man, 
muscular,  full-breasted,  of  great  nerve,  and  firm  as  iron.  When 
he  stripped  I  had  a  good  opportunity  to  see  this,  and  he  allowed 
me  to  take  the  measurement  of  his  body.'' 

On  the  10th  of  May  Ebierbing's  grandmother,  the  aged  Oohjoxy 
Ninoo,  arrived  with  him  from  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  where  he 
had  been  to  fetch  her  to  his  home.  I  was  anxious  for  a  conver- 
sation with  her,  as  she  could  give  me  much  information,  from  na- 
tive traditions  and  personal  observation,  about  the  Frobisher  ex- 
peditions of  1576-8 ;  but  it  was  not  until  the  next  day  that  I  had 
the  opportunity. 

Next  morning  I  went  on  shore  at  Cooper's  Island,  a  small  isl- 
and near  the  George  Ilcnry  in  Rescue  Harbor,  where  Ebierbing. 
Tookoolito,  and  Dokijoxy  Ninoo  lived  in  tuples.  Our  conversa- 
tion commenced  by  my  leading  the  way,  through  Ebierbing,  his 
wife  acting  as  interpreter,  which,  aided  by  my  own  increasing 
knowledge  of  the  language,  enabled  me  to  quite  understand  the 
old  lady's  narrative. 

Ebierbing  said  that "  he  well  recollected,  when  a  boy,  seeing,  on 
an  island  near  Oopungnewing,  owj  (something  red,  which  I  inferred, 
from  his  subsequent  explanation,  to  mean  hrkhs)  and  coal.  At 
that  time  he  knew  not  what  those  things  were,  but  when  he  visit- 
ed England  in  1855,  he  there  saw  bricks,  and  understood  their 
use  for  the  first  time.  Coal  he  had  seen  on  board  an  English 
whaler  previous  to  that,  but  not  until  years  after  his  noticing  these 
things  on  the  island.  He  said  he  used  to  play  with  these  bricks, 
piling  them  up  in  rows  and  in  various  forms,  as  children  often 
do,  and  also  marked  stones  with  them,  and  was  delighted  to  see 


FROBISHERS  EXPEDITIONS. 


277 


the  red  strokes.  He  also  remembered  Innuit  women  using  the 
bricks,  whenever  they  could  be  obtained,  for  polishing  the  brass 
ornaments  worn  on  the  head.  Likewise  he  could  well  remember 
how  some  of  his  aged  people  told  him  that  many — a  great  many 
years  ago,  ships  came  into  the  Bay  Tin-nu-jok-jniig-oo-se-onfj/"  (Fro- 
bisher  Bay).  This  was  Ebierbing's  statement.  I  now  proceed  to 
that  of  his  grandmother.  But,  before  doing  this,  let  me  describe 
the  scene  as  it  was  at  the  time  of  my  receiving  the  following  im- 
portant communication  from  her: 

Her  tupio  was  very  small — only  large  enough  to  hold  herself 
comfortably  in  a  sitting  or  reclining  posture — but  I  managed  to 
squeeze  in  beside  her,  seating  myself  at  her  right  side.  Tookoo- 
lito  was  outside  by  the  entrance,  facing  the  old  lady  and  myself. 


oil)  OOKUOXT  MNOO  NABltATINa  TUB  TBAIUTIONS  UF  UEB  I'KOl'LE. 


The  position  of  Ookijoxy  Ninoo  was  usually  a  reclining  one, 
she  resting  her  elbows  on  the  pillow-place  of  her  bed,  and  her 
chin  upon  her  hands.  By  her  side  was  her  little  kood-lin  (lamp), 
and  in  front  of  that  was  a  small  board,  on  which  was  a  handful 
of  baked  beans  given  to  her  by  some  one  from  the  ship,  and  also 


278  AKCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

a  few  broken  pieces  of  sea-bread  which  Tookoolito  had  saved  for 
her.  Thare  was,  besides,  abundance  of  walrus  blubber  and  skin 
for  her  to  eat  when  hungry. 

During  the  time  I  was  in  her  tupic  and  listening  to  her  words, 
a  favorite  grandchild  of  hers,  E-ter-loong,  was  just  outside,  fre- 
quently crying  for  food.  The  old  lady  gave  the  child  a  part  of 
the  beans  and  biscuit ;  but  his  noise  was  a  great  interruption. 

The  weather  was  very  cold — bitterly  so ;  and  I  often  requested 
Tookoolito  to  take  my  place  inside,  but  she  preferred  my  retain- 
ing "  the  seat  of  honor." 

The  following  is  the  substance  of  her  statements  to  me  respect- 
ing the  objects  of  my  inquiry. 

Placing  before  her  the  sketch-chart  formerly  drawn  by  Koo- 
Jesse,  and  showing  her  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  Singeyer,  Field 
Bay,  tracing  along  down  through  Bear  Sound  to  Cape  True, 
thence  to  Oopungnewing,  I  asked  her  if  she  recognized  those  par- 
ticular parts.  Her  reply  was  that  she  did ;  and  immediately  ask- 
ed, "What  is  the  name  of  the  island  where  Koochooarchu  (Samp- 
son) was?"  meaning  the  island  where  myself,  with  Sterry  and 
Kokerjabin,  visited  Sampson  on  the  previous  April  27th.  I  re- 
plied, "  Ak-koo-wie-shut-too-pingP 

"That,"  said  she,  "is  where  I  have  spent  much  of  my  life — many 
of  my  best  days.  But  the  place  where  the  kodlunas  (white  peo- 
ple) of  the  ships  landed  is  called  Niountelik,  an  island  near  Oo- 
pungnewing." 

She  then  proceeded  to  say  that  upon  Niountelik  she  had  seen 
'  bricks,  and  coal,  and  pieces  of  timber  of  various  sizes.  She  had 
also  heard  from  old  Innuits  that,  many  years  before,  ships  had 
landed  there  with  a  great  number  of  people.  She  remembered, 
when  a  little  girl,  hearing  Innuits  tell  about  these  people  hav- 
ing killed  several  Innuits ;  also  that  farther  down,  or  on  Kingaite 
side,  as  the  old  lady  spoke  it,  they  took  away  two  Innuit  women, 
who  never  came  back  again.  * 

I  asked  her  if  she  knew  how  mani/  ships  had  come  there?  Her 
reply  was.  They  came  every  year ;  first  two,  then  three,  then 
am-a-su-ad-lo  oo-moo  arch-chu-a  (many — a  great  many  ships). 
"  Five  Innuits  were  also  killed  by  the  kodlunas"  (white  people). 
Not  feeling  quite  certain  of  the  meaning  of  her  answer,  I  repeated 
the  (|uestion.  How  many  ships  came  here?  Tookoolito,  on  receiv- 
ing the  answer,  gave  it  to  me  in  this  way :  "  She  said  '  they  came 
every  year,'"  and  then  ceased  from  repeating  more  of  the  old 


TRADITIONS  OF  THE  INNUITS.  279 

woman's  words.  This  puzzled  me ;  I  knew  not  what  to  make  of 
it.  I  began  to  think  that  perhaps  whaling  ships  had  annually 
visited  the  great  bay.  But,  after  a  few  moments,  I  found  Tookoo- 
lito  had  ceased  speaking  merely  to  consider  the  true  interpreta- 
tion of  what  the  old  lady  had  said  into  my  vernacular.  She  con- 
tinued by  saying,  "First  two,  then  two  or  three,  then  many — very 
many  vessels." 

This  was  clear ;  and  I  immediately  took  up  the  only  book  I 
then  had  with  me  bearing  upon  the  subject,  "  Barrow's  Chrono- 
logical History  of  Arctic  Discovery,"  and,  turning  to  the  account 
of  Frobisher's  voyages,  I  read  what  had  been  given  to  the  world 
by  means  of  writing  and  printing,  and  compared  it  with  what  was 
now  communicated  to  me  by  means  of  oral  tradition.  Written 
history  tells  me  that  Frobisher  made  three  voyages  to  the  arctic 
regions  as  follows : 

First  voyage  in  1576,  with  two*  vessels. 

Second  voyage  in  1677,  three  vessels. 

Third  voyage  in  1578,  fifteen  vessels. 

Traditionary  history  informs  me  that  a  great  many,  many  years 
ago  the  vessels  of  white  men  visited  the  bay  (Frobisher's)  three 
successive  years: 

First,  in  two  vessels. 

Second,  in  three  vessels. 

Third,  in  many  vessels. 

But  this  is  not  all  that  traditionary  history  gave  me  on  that  day. 
Written  history  states  that  Frobisher  lost  five  of  his  men  on  his 
first  voyage  when  conveying  a  native  on  shore.  Oral  history 
told  me  that  five  white  men  were  captured  by  Innuit  people  at 
the  time  of  the  appearance  of  the  ships  a  great  many  years  ago ; 
that  these  men  wintered  on  nhore  (whether  one,  two,  three,  or 
more  winters,  could  not  say) ;  that  they  lived  among  the  Innuifs ; 
that  they  afterward  built  an  oomien  (large  boat),  and  put  a  mast 
into  her,  and  had  sails ;  that  early  in  the  season,  before  much  wa- 
ter appeared,  they  endeavored  to  aepart ;  that,  in  the  effort,  some 
froze  their  hands;  but  that  finally  they  succeeded  in  getting  into 
open  water,  and  away  they  went,  which  was  the  last  seen  or  heard 
of  them.  This  boat,  as  near  as  I  could  make  out  at  the  time,  was 
built  on  the  island  that  Frobisher  and  his  company  landed  upon, 
v\z.^  Niountelik. 

I  have  here  put  down  a  part  only  of  what  I  recorded  in  my 

„  *  Sec  Appendix,  No.  8. 


280  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

journal  at  the  time,  and,  consequently,  much  of  it  will  be  found 
to  have  been  the  result  of  some  slight  mistake  in  what  I  then  un- 
derstood ;  but,  coupled  with  the  previous  statements  of  Koojesse, 
and  the  information  which  I  afterward  obtained,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  main  facts  about  Frobisher's  Expedition  are  well  sup- 
ported by  evidence. 

The  old  lady  farther  informed  me  that  frequently,  in  her  life- 
time, she  had  seen  wood,  chips,  coal,  and  bricks,  and  large  pieces 
of  very  heavy  stone,  on  the  island  of  Niountelih. 

This  again  puzzled  me.  What  could  "very  heavy  stone" 
mean  ?  I  asked  her  "  what  kind  of  stone  it  was,"  and  to  this  she 
replied,  "  It  was  black,  and  very  heavy.  No  Innuits  had  ever 
seen  such  kind  of  stones  before." 

This  at  once  led  me  to  conclude  that  the  heavy  stones  were 
iron  ;  and  still  more  so  when  Tookoolito  observed,  "  I  think,  from 
what  the  old  lady  says,  these  stones  were  very  heavy,  a  small  one 
being  as  much  as  an  Innuit  could  lift.  I  think,  perhaps,"  added 
she,  "  they  were  iron."  "  And  so  do  I.  By-and-by,  I  will  see  to 
it,"  was  my  reply. 

The  information  thus  obtained  seemed  so  clearly  to  bear  upon 
Frobisher's  Expedition  that  I  determined,  as  soon  as  I  could,  to 
visit  NiounteUk,  and  ascertain  all  about  the  matter.  I  thought 
to  myself,  if  such  facts  concerning  an  expedition  which  had  been 
made  nearly  three  hundred  years  ago  can  be  preserved  by  the  na- 
tives, and  evidence  of  those  facts  obtained,  what  may  not  be  glean- 
ed of  Sir  John  Franklin's  Expedition  of  only  sixteen  years  ago  ? 
The  singular  fate  of  La  Perouse  and  his  expedition  was  unknown 
to  the  civilized  world  for  thirty-eight  years,  and  then  brought  to 
light  only  by  the  exertions  of  one  individual,  Captain  Dillon,  an 
English  master  of  a  merchant  ship !  Here,  too,  we  have  the  first 
intimation  of  the  fate  of  Frobisher's  five  men — after  being  shroud- 
ed in  mystery  for  285  years — all  but  determined  by  personal  in- 
quiry among  the  natives  I  Why  not,  then,  be  able  to  ascertain 
from  the  same  natives — that  is,  of  the  same  Innuit  race — all  those 
particulars  so  interesting,  and  many  of  them  so  important  to  sci- 
ence, concerning  the  Lost  Polar  Expedition?  I  was  now  con- 
vinced, more  than  I  had  ever  been,  that  the  whole  mystery  of 
their  fate  could  have  been,  and  may  yet  be  easily  determined  with 
even  the  smallest  well-directed  aid.  At  all  events,  I  felt  that, 
while  life  and  health  should  be  spared  me,  I  would  devote  my- 
self to  this  undertaking.  ^ 


THE  DREADED  LAND.  281 

Sucli  was  the  current  of  my  thoughts  at  the  time  I  was  in 
the  old  lady's  iupic  and  listening  to  her  words ;  and,  let  me  add, 
such  are  now  my  thoughts,  and,  so  far  as  may  be  permitted,  such 
are  my  intentions. 

In  continuation  of  my  interview  with  the  aged  Innuit,  I  asked 
her  why  Innuits,  as  I  had  been  informed,  do  not  now  live  upon 
the  land  beyond  Bear  Sound,  extending  eastward  between  the 
waters  of  Frobisher  Bay  and  Field  Bay  ? 

To  this,  as  interpreted,  she  said, 

"  A  great  many  years  ago,  before  I  (Ookijoxy  Ninoo)  was 
born,  the  Innuits  all  around  these  bays  were  very  many.  The 
number  of  Innuits  on  Ki-ki-tuk-ju-a  {Lok^s  Land  of  Frobisher)  and 
the  other  islands  in  that  direction  was  great;  but  at  one  time 
they  were  nearly  all  out  on  the  ice,  when  it  separated  from  the 
land  and  took  them  out  to  sea.  They  never  came  back,  nor  did 
Imy  Innuit  ever  hear  of  them  again.  Since  then,  Innuits  never 
live  there,  nor  ever  visit  the  place." 

As  she  spoke  about  this  catastrophe  she  did  so  under  evident 
feelings  of  constraint  and  horror ;  and  when  I  asked  if  she  had 
ever  visited  it,  her  emphatic  reply  was, ''  Nevei-f  Never  I" 

This  accounted  to  me  for  much  apparent  mystery  which  I  had 
noticed  respecting  the  region  in  question  whenevej'  I  addressed 
any  Innuit  upon  the  subject.  They  could  not — or  would  not— 
give  me  any  information  about  it ;  and  when  I  once  tried  to  get 
a  company  of  natives  to  go  there  with  me,  all  refused.  Yet  ev- 
ery year  they  make  frequent  passages,  backward  and  forward 
through  the  channel  Ts-se-hi-suk-ju-a  (called  by  Frobisher  Bear 
Sound),  dividing  the  "ill-fated  land"  from  the  main. 

The  old  woman  farther  added  that  the  Innuits  had  lived  on 
that  land,  as  Innuits  do  live  —  that  is,  moving  about  wherever 
food  can  be  had — both  before  and  after  the  white  men's  ships 
came  years  ago;  but,  since  the  great  disaster  occurred  which 
swept  so  many  of  her  people  away,  no  Innuits  would  go  there. 

After  eliciting  all  the  information  I  then  could  from  the  old 
woman,  I  left  her,  with  great  astonishment  at  her  powers  of  mem- 
ory, and  the  remarkable  way  in  which  this  strange  people  of  the 
icy  North,  who  have  no  written  language,  can  correctly  preserve 
history  from  one  generation  to  another.  ' 

Nine  generations  had  passed  away  since  the  visit  of  Frobisher, 
yet  now,  on  the  11th  of  May,  1861, 1  received  from  an  old  wom- 
an, probably  a  hundred  years  old,  statements  which  I  could  not 


282  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION, 

otherwise  than  believe  to  be  facts  concerning  him  and  his  co-ad- 
venturers !  I  was  astonished,  and  also,  in  a  measure,  pleased,  for 
it  gave  me  stronger  hopes  than  ever  of  my  being  able  thereafter 
to  obtain  all  the  knowledge  I  required  concerning  the  expedition 
of  Franklin.  Meanwhile  I  determined  upon  revisiting  Oopung- 
newing,  and  going  to  Nionnt.'^lik  as  soon  as  possible. 

At  this  time  all  oa  board  the  George  Henry  were  very  busy  in 
certain  matters  connected  with  the  ship,  such  as  refitting  and  pre- 
paring her  for  the  time  when  she  might  proceed  to  other  quar- 
ters for  whaling  operations.  Boats  on  sledges,  men  and  their  ap- . 
parel,  sleeping-gear,  and  other  necessary  material,  were  daily  sent 
off  to  the  working  depot  at  Cape  True,  in  Frobisher  Bay,  so  that 
on  the  17th  of  May  only  three  white  men  remained  in  the  vessel. 

I  now  decided  to  make  a  sledge  exploring  trip  up  the  Bay  of 
Frobisher,  as  I  could  not  depart  fcr  King  William's  Land  till 
about  the  1st  of  August,  the  earliest  practicable  moment  of  bein^ 
able  to  commence  my  journey  by  boat  to  that  locality. 

At  this  time  Tookoolito  was  suddenly  taken  ill.  It  was  on  the 
evening  of  May  18th,  when,  as  I  was  engaged  upon  my  charts, 
Tookoolito  aiding  me  in  the  Innuit  names,  I  noticed  she  sudden- 
ly dropped  her  head,  and,  as  I  thought,  to  reflect  upon  something. 
But  Sharkey's  wife,  who  was  sitting  opposite,  soon  convinced  mc 
to  the  contrary  by  springing  toward  her.  I  saw  what  the  matter 
was  in  a  moment.  Tookoolito  had  fainted ;  and,  when  aided  by 
such  means  as  were  in  my  power,  she  soon  revived,  bat  a  general 
prostration,  accompanied  by  terrible  pains  in  the  head,  ensued. 
As  it  was  necessary  for  her  to  have  immediate  rest,  she  was  placed 
in  my  berth,  and  the  little  girl,  Ookoodlear,  sent  to  attend  upon 
her. 

Meanwhile  I  had  another  patient  suddenly  on  my  hands.  Di- 
rectly Tookoolito  revived,  Mam-rrm-yat-che-ung,  wife  of  Sharkey, 
was  seized  with  bleeding  at  the  lungs.  The  poor  woman,  like 
many  of  her  people,  especially  those  of  her  sex,  was  in  a  rapid  de- 
cline, and,  as  I  thought,  had  not  long  to  live.  She  had  gone  upon 
deck,  where  I  found  her  coughing  and  vomiting  up  blood  most 
fearfully.  The  snow-wreath  at  the  gangway  was  crimsoned  as  if 
a  bear's  jugular  had  been  opened  there.  I  at  once  gave  her  a 
glass  of  alum  water,  which  checked  it  after  she  had  bled  for  some 
twenty  minutes.  She  then  went  down  to  my  cabin,  and  attended 
upon  Tookoolito  until  the  return  of  Ebierbing,  who  was  greatly 
affected  at  the  condition  of  his  wife. 


EXCURSION  TO  THE  HEAD  OF  FIELD  BAY.  283 

Poor  Tookoolito  continued  very  sick  for  some  days,  but,  with 
such  care  and  relief  as  could  be  given  to  her,  she  ultimately  got 
well  enough  to  go  about  as  usual.  Perhaps  the  cause  of  her  sick- 
ness was  overexertion  in  moving  their  tupic  from  one  island  to 
another  the  day  previous.  It  had  been  heavy  work  for  her,  but 
she  had  to  do  it,  for  the  custom  among  Innuits  is  to  make  the 
women  perform  all  such  domestic  and  ordinary  labor. 

Before  leaving  for  my  exploration  of  the  Probisher  waters,  I 
determined  to  examine  the  head  of  Field  Bay,  the  bay  where  we 
were  now  at  anchor  I  commenced  this  work  at  9  A.M.  of  the 
20th  of  May.  The  Innuits  Ebierbing  and  the  angeko,  with  Mam- 
ma-nar-ping,  one  of  the  wives  of  the  latter,  were  with  me,  though 
the  two  former  only  went  part  of  the  way,  they  leaving  me  to 
chase  some  reindeer,  the  tracks  of  which  we  found  near  the  foot 
of  Grinnell  Mountain.  I  myself,  with  the  woman  as  guide  and 
attendant,  continued  the  trip  alone. 

The  traveling  was  very  bad,  in  consequence  of  the  snow  hav- 
ing melted  and  formed  several  pools.  Over  these  pools,  which 
almost  uniformly  covered  the  sea-ice,  was  a  thin  coating  of  fresh- 
water-ice, not  uniformly  of  sufficient  thickness  and  strength  to 
bear  our  walking  upon  it ;  indeed,  but  a  small  portion  of  it  was  * 
firm  enough  to  hold  us  up.  Whenever  it  gave  way,  down  we 
would  go,  ankle  deep,  and  sometimes  deeper.  Then,  too,  the  daz- 
zling glare  of  the  ice  on  the  upper  part  of  the  bay  caused  addi- 
tional care  and  labor  in  walking. 

Every  few  rods  we  saw  seals  out  on  the  ice,  basking  in  the  sun's 
rays. 

At  4  P.M.  we  made  land,  and  there  stopped  to  rest  and  dine. 
I  had  abundance  of  hard  bread  and  a  large  piece  of  salt  pork,  and 
at  that  season  of  the  year  there  was  plenty  of  fresh  water  to  be 
obtained.  Thus  we  were  able  to  make  a  good  repast,  and;  after 
a  short  stay,  proceed  on  our  journey. 

Our  way  led  us  toward  Alden  Mountain  ;*  and  we  had  to  go 
over  an  extensive  plain,  deeply  covered  with  snow,  which  is  at 
the  head  of  Field  Bay.  Almost  every  half  dozen  steps  were  sure 
to  be  succeeded  by  a  downfall  of  no  pleasant  character,  and  it  was 
severe  to  me,  besides  being  injurious  to  my  box  chronometer  slung 
at  my  side.  Never  did  I  experience  more  annoying  travel.  As 
we  proceeded  it  became  much  worse.    Every  few  steps,  down, 

*  A  monntftin  at  the  extreme  head  of  Field  Bay,  which  I  have  named  after  Cliavlcs 
Alden,  of  Newbiirg,  New  York. 


28i  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

down  we  went,  oftener  waist-deep  than  otherwise.  Sometimes  the 
surface  snow  would  appear  firm,  and  then  I  had  hope  of  all  being 
right  for  our  getting  forward,  but  the  next  moment  we  were  sink- 
ing to  our  hips  in  some  treacherous  spot.  Occasionally  I  would 
be  making  fair  headway,  when  my  Innuit  guide  would  go  (fown, 
and,  while  trying  to  help  her  up,  the  snow-crust  would  give  way, 
and  I  then  followed  suit.  It  seemed  as  if  it  took  three  hours  for 
us  to  make  one  mile. 

After  much  struggling  we  arrived  at  a  small  rocky  hill,  and, 
ascending  it,  an  extensive  view  was  before  me.  On  the  west 
of  us  I  could  see  a  lakelet,  long  and  narrow,  that  extended  in  a 
northerly  direction  to  the  base  of  Alden  Mountain.  This  lake- 
let, on  my  way  back,  proved  to  be  influenced  in  its  waters  by  the 
sea  for  two  or  three  days  at  the  periods  of  high  tides — full  and 
change. 

It  was  now  8  P.M.  We  were  both  much  fatigued,  and  yet  it 
would  not  do  to  remain.  Not  a  blanket  had  we,  nor  an}'-  article 
that  would  serve  to  keep  warmth  in  us  during  the  night,  which, 
however,  was  now  daylight  all  through.  The  heavens  we.ve  cov- 
ered with  portentous  clouds,  and  many  circumstances  led  me  to 
'  conclude  it  most  advisable  to  return ;  but  I  could  hardly  determ- 
ine in  what  direction  it  would  be  best  to  go.  There  were  the 
plains,  but  they  were  covered  deeply  with  the  treacherous  snow. 
As  I  reflected,  a  passage  in  the  "  Good  Book"  came  to  my  mind : 
"  Be  angry,  and  sin  not ;"  but,  whether  I  sinned  or  not,  God  only 
is  my  judge.  This,  however,  I  must  confess :  that  as  I  walked  on 
that  treacherous  snow-crust,  every  now  and  then  going  down, 
down,  down,  my  temper  at  length  would  fly  up,  uj),  up,  making 
the  scale-beam  koep  dancing  for  full  three  hours,  until  some  fair 
walking  gave  ease  to  my  weary  limbs  and  quiet  to  my  ruffled 
soul. 

On  a  careful  survey  of  the  routes  we  could  follow,  I  finally  de- 
cided upon  going  to  a  low  ridge  which  was  farther  west  of  us  and 
free  from  snow.  That  ridge  extended  in  a  line  running  to  the 
S.S.E.,  and  lay  iiv  about  the  direction  I  wanted  to  go.  To  reach 
it  we  had  to  traverse  along  an  abrupt  sand-bank  bordering  the 
lakelet  already  mentioned.  We  then  came  to  a  beautiful  grassy 
plain  quite  destitute  of  snow,  and  over  which  it  was  a  perfect  lux- 
ury to  travel.  All  my  weariness  and  pain  were  quite  for  -otten 
in  walking  across  this  carpet  of  Nature.  It  was  surrounded  by 
rugged,  sombre,  rocky  mountains,  and  consequently  appeared  to 


FERTILE  PLAINS.— NUMEROUS  REINDEER.  285 

me  like  an  oasis  in  the  great  desert  For  nearly  one  year  I  had 
sighted  nothing  but  rocks,  rocks,  rocks,  here,  there,  and  every 
where,  piled  into  mountains  of  such  varied  and  horrible  shapes 
that  they  seemed  as  if  created  to  strike  terror  into  the  heart  cf 
man ;  and  now  to  fall  thus  unexpectedly  upon  a  plain  covered 
with  grass,  yielding  so  friendly  and  "  down"-like  to  i.iy  aching 
feet,  particularly  under  the  circumstances  described,  was  enough 
for  me  to  express  my  great  joy  and  admiration. 

It  is  said  that  the  name  Greenland  was  given  to  that  land  by 
the  Norwegians  and  Icelanders  because  it  looked  greener  than 
Iceland.  I  could,  therefore,  on  my  trip  across  that  grassy  plain, 
fully  appreciate  their  feelings  on  beholding  a  greener  land  than 
their  own.  Yet  many  a  one  going  directly  from  the  United 
States  and  visiting  Greenland  would  from  the  bottom  of  his  soul 
exclaim, 

"  This  Greenland  I  Then,  indeed,  have  I  come  into  a  Paradise, 
but  into  that  of  which  Milton  speaks : 

"  ' o'er  the  back  side  of  the  world  far  off, 

Into  a  limbo  large  and  broad,  since  called 
The  Paradise  of  Fools.'  " 

With  reference  to  the  plain  I  crossed  over,  Tookoolito  after- 
ward informed  me  that  in  1860  a  company  of  Innuits,  herself  and 
Ebierbing  of  the  number,  spent  three  weeks  in  passing  over  the 
land  amid  the  mountains,  and  on  other  plains  of  great  extent 
westward  of  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay.  Their  trip  was  made  for 
a  reindeer  hunt.  On  their  way,  and  running  northwest  from  the 
plain  near  what  I  have  called  Alden  Mountain,  was  another  plain, 
extending  in  every  direction  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  This 
convinced  me  that  in  general  arctic  navigators  know  but  little 
about  the  interior  of  the  northern  country,  Earely  any  thing  but 
the  coasts  are  seen  and  explored.  On  the  trip  I  am  now  referring 
to  I  saw  more  level  ground  than  since  I  left  the  United  States. 
Nothing  in  Greenland  that  I  saw  could  compare  with  it. 

Tookoolito  also  informed  me  that  reindeer  visit  those  plains  in 
great  numbers.  On  their  excursion  they  killed  as  many  as  they 
wanted ;  and  so  numerous  were  the  deer  that  they  might  be  com- 
pared to  flocks  of  sheep.  Much  of  the  meat  they  had  obtained 
during  the  hunt  was  left  behind.  The  fawns  were  chased  down 
by  the  Innuits  and  caught ;  as  she  said, "  their  feet  being  dry,  they 
could  not  run  well.  When  the  feet  of  tuktoo  are  wet,  they  can 
go  much  faster  over  the  mountain  rocks." 


286  ARCTIC  RESEAllCII  EXPEDITION. 

From  information  I  afterward  obtained,  the  plains  here  spoken 
of  appeared  to  be  well  known  to  our  friendly  Innuita  as  a  breed- 
ing-place for  the  deer ;  and  the  whole  country  between  Frobisher 
Bay  and  Niountelik  (a  place  in  the  north  part  of  Northumberland 
Inlet)  had  been  frequently  traversed  by  several  of  the  intelligent 
natives  who  visited  us;  but,  unless  discreetly  questioned,  it  is 
rare  for  an  Esquimaux  to  say  much  of  binaself,  his  people,  or  his 
native  land.  It  is  only  by  degrees,  and  by  a  long  association 
with  them,  that  any  one  can  elicit  any  material  facts. 

At  half  past  10  P.M.  we  were  on  the  top  of  another  mountain. 
Here  we  had  something  more  to  eat ;  and  then,  proceeding  to  the 
sea-ice,  directed  our  steps  toward  the  vessel.  The  walk  was  one 
of  great  labor,  yet  not  so  trying  to  the  temper  as  that  of  some  pre- 
vious portion  of  the  day. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  arrived  on  board  of  the 
ship,  completely  exhausted  with  the  fatiguing  journey,  made,  dur- 
ing eighteen  hours,  over  a  distance  of  about  twenty-five  miles. 


SUCCESSFUL  DEEK-HUNT,  28'i 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

• 

A  successful  Deer-hunt. — Venison. — Another  Journey. —  Sc-ko-se-lar  Innnits. — 
The  Land  Pass. — Magnificent  Scenery. — Countess  of  Warwick  Sound. — Impor- 
tant Discovery. — Piece  of  Brick. — Relic  of  Frobisher's  Exjxidition. — Sledge-drive 
in  a  Snow-storm. — A  Whirl  in  the  Snow. — An  involuntary  Slide. — Value  of  a 
Compass. — Safe  Arrival  on  Board.  —  Anniversary  of  Departure  from  Home. — 
State  of  the  Ice.— "Man-traps."— The  Whale  Depot. — Plenty  of  fresh  Meat.- 
Stranger  Innuits  arrive. — A  startling  Tale. — Two  Boats  of  White  Men  land  on 
the  Coast. — First  Idea  concerning  thera. — After-knowledge  of  the  Truth. — Loss 
of  the  English  Store-ship  Kitty. — The  Locality  of  Sekoselar. — Innuit  Informa- 
tion.— Head  of  Frobisher  Bay. — Tradition  of  Parry's  Voyage. — Old  Innuits  re- 
member visiting  him.  —  Extract  from  his  Narrative. — Sekoselar  Innuits  dislike 
civilization  Food. — "Barbarous  Stuflf." — Strange  Dialect. — Physical  Superiority 
of  the  Sekoselar  Men. 

—  • 

The  following  day,  May  21st,  1861,  Ebierbing  and  Mingumailo 
returned  from  their  deer-hunt.  They  had  been  successful,  hav- 
ing shot  with  a  rifle  of  mine  three  deer,  one  of  which  was  lost,  and 
the  other  two  were  secured.  It  appeared  that  Ebierbing  first  shot 
one  of  a  group  of  eight  which  they  came  across.  It  struggled 
and  fell  before  he  could  approac'j  the  spot,  but  rose  again  and  ran 
away.  In  a  moment  more,  however,  he  managed  to  shoot  anoth- 
er, and  Mingumailo  a  third.  Thus  was  secured  to  us  several 
hundred  pounds  of  fresh  meat — venison. 

The  deer  were  killed  high  up  in  the  mountains,  and  the  two 
hunters  had  to  carry  the  carcasses  (portions  at  a  time)  a  distance 
of  two  miles  down  to  the  sea-ice,  where  they  made  a  cache  by 
piling  on  heavy  stones.  What  they  could  carry  of  it  to  the  ship 
they  did,  and  all  of  us  on  board  had  an  excellent  feast. 

About  this  time  we  heard  that  some  Innuits  bad  arrived  at 
Sampson's  settlement  from  the  "  Sekoselar"  mentioned  in  a  note 
at  page  178.  The  news  made  me  still  more  anxious  to  proceed 
on  my  exploring  trip,  but  various  causes  tended  to  prolong  my 
delay,  and,  even  when  ready  for  the  excursion,  I  was  unable  to 
proceed  farther  than  a  day's  journey. 

The  Esquimaux  are  good  as  guides,  as  companions,  as  hunters 
and  purveyors  of  food,  but  it  is  impossible  to  place  any  great  de- 
pendence upon  them  in  keeping  faith  as  to  time,  or  one's  wishes 


288  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

on  a  journey.  They  tvill  do  just  as  they  please ;  and  if  aught  is 
seen  that  may  serve  tliem  for  food,  they  will  away  in  chase,  no 
matter  how  mueh  delay  is  thereby  occasioned  in  a  white  man's 
enterpriHe,  or  however  great  the  loss  and  inconvenience.  In  my 
case,  ubsolutely  dependent  upon  them  for  aid  in  exploring,  I  could 
do  nothing  but  exercise  my  patience  to  the  fullest  degree.  Hence 
it  was  not  until  the  27th  of  May  that  I  was  able  to  start  on  anoth- 
er trip  to  the  waters  of  Frobisher  Bay. 

At  that  season  of  the  year,  traveling  over  the  ice  and  snow- 
covered  land  by  day  was  almost  impossible.  The  slush  and  the 
numerous  pools  of  water  upon  the  former  rendered  a  passage  not 
only  very  difficult,  but  often  dangerous ;  and,  upon  the  land,  the 
fatigue  occasioned  was  more  than  could  be  well  endured.  Night, 
therefore,  was  chosen  for  our  journeys,  unless  occasion  required 
us  to  continue  on  during  the  day. 

Accordingly,  at  10  P.M.  of  the  27th  of  May  I  started  from  the 
ship  with  dogs  and  sledge,  after  having  my  outfit  well  attended 
to  by  Tookoolito.  She  was  unable  to  accompany  her  husband, 
who  had  joined  my  company.  The  rest  of  my  companions  were 
two  Innuit  men  and  two  women,  one  of  them  being  Punnie,  and 
the  other  a  beautiful  young  woman  called  An-nu-tik-er-tung,  wife 
of  Kus-se-e-ung.  Myself  and  the  two  women  led  the  way,  and 
in  about  an  hour  arrived  where  the  upper  village  had  been  dur- 
ing the  winter.  Here  we  stopped  to  collect  various  things  be- 
longing to  the  Innuits  who  were  with  me,  and  which  they  had 
left  there  when  departing  for  Frobisher  Bay.  We  also  stopped 
at  another  spot  not  far  off,  and  collected  tent-poles,  coverings,  kia 
frames,  buckets,  skins,  etc.,  making  a  very  considerable  addition 
to  our  already  heavy  load.  It  was  an  hour  and  a  half  past  mid- 
night when  we  again  started,  but  our  foot  travel  was  now  good, 
the  best  of  the  season,  the  ice  being  firm  during  the  night. 

During  the  walk  I  had  an  interesting  conversation  with  Ebier- 
bing,  who,  among  other  things,  told  me  of  the  great  price  the 
Sekoselar  Innuits  were  willing  to  give  for  any  articles  of  iron.  A 
small  piece  of  good  iron,  suitable  for  a  spear-head,  would  procure 
a  seal  or  tuktoo  jacket  from  them,  and  with  a  needle  one  could 
purchase  a  deerskin.  The  Sekoselar  Innuits  can  only  obtain  iron 
occasionally,  when  a  communication  is  had  with  natives  living  on 
the  coast.    They  still  use  bone  needles,  bows,  and  arrows. 

As  we  neared  the  land  on  the  opposite  side  of  Field  Bay  the 
sun  was  tipping  the  mountains  with  red.    It  was  then  nearly 


A  RAGING  SEA  TEARING  UP  ICE.  289 

half  past  2  A.M.,  and  I  also  noticed  that  clouds  were  hugging 
some  of  tlio  high  landa  This  indicated  a  coming  storm.  At 
3  45  A.M.  wo  passed  from  the  bay  to  the  main  land,  and  now  it 
began  to  blow  strongly  from  the  southwest.  I  selected  the  lee 
side  of  some  rocks  and  took  several  compass  bearings,  then  pro- 
ceeded on  my  way  alone,  the  rest  of  my  party,  with  the  sledge, 
having  gone  on  before.  I  overtook  them  at  the  summit  of  Bay- 
ard Taylor  Pass,  and  then  together  we  began  the  descent  on  '.he 
other  side. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  this  Pass,  but  each  time  I  traversed  it 
I  could  not  help  being  transfixed  with  woi^dering  awe.  Near  the 
western  termination  of  this  pass  each  side  is  walled  by  bold,  crag- 
gy mountains,  and  the  scenery  there  is  truly  magnificent.  Well 
might  I  exclaim,  as  I  did  on  viewing  it.  Great  God,  thy  works 
are  indeed  mighty !  Shortly  after,  when  we  reached  the  frozen 
waters  of  the  bay,  the  dogs  and  sledge  carried  us  along  past  scen- 
ery ever  changing  and  remarkable.  While  crossing  this,  I  judged 
it  to  be  Frobishcr's  Countess  of  Warwick  Sound. 

Our  course  this  time,  owing  to  a  wide  gap  in  the  ice,  led  us  to 
the  north  of  Oopungnewing,  as  we  intended  to  make  for  the  low 
point  of  land  called  Twerpukjua;  hence  we  passed  the  island  at 
.some  little  distance.  Here,  when  nearest  to  it,  Punnie  left  us  to 
go  to  Annawa's  settlement;  and  after  resting  a  while,  employing 
the  time  in  sealing,  we  again  proceeded.  Niountelik  Island  we 
passed  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  and  then,  at  10  A.M.,  we  ar- 
rived at  Twerpukjua. 

When  approaching  the  shore-ice  we  met  a  party  of  Innuits 
with  a  sledge  and  team  of  dogs  going  to  the  vessel,  having  just 
come  from  the  island  where  I  had  been  April  25th  and  26th, 
while  staying  with  Sampson.  Among  them  were  Johnny  Bull, 
his  wife  Kokerzhun,  and  Ncw-iver-che^  one  of  the  most  enterpris- 
ing and  energetic  Innuits  with  whom  I  was  acquainted.  They 
reported  that  the  ice  had  broken  up,  and  said  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  me  to  proceed  on  my  journey  by  sledge.  This  I  soon 
perceived  to  be  the  case.  While  consulting  with  them,  I  could 
see  quite  enough  to  convince  me  so.  The  wind  was  then  blow- 
ing strong  from  the  south.  A  heavy  sea  was  at  work  tearing  up 
the  ice  between  Niountelik  and  Twerpukjua.  To  where  we  were, 
the  distance  from  the  raging,  open  sea  was  not  two  hundred  fath- 
oms. 

It  was  a  trial  to  me  to  give  up  this  trip,  yet  I  acted  as  I  believe 

T 


290  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

a  wise  man  should,  and  accordingly  determined  to  abandon  the 
attempt  and  try  it  by  boat.  I  therefore  ordered  our  return  ;  but, 
as  I  wished  to  examine  the  islands  of  Oopungnewing  and  Nioun- 
telik,  I  proposed  to  Ebierbing  that  we  should  stay  three  or  four 
days  at  Annawa's;  and,  to  prevent  our  being  encumbered  with 
so  much  baggage  as  I  had  brought  for  an  extended  trip,  told  him 
to  make  a  transfer  of  it  from  our  sledge  to  John  Bull's,  who  would 
take  it  back  to  the  ship. 

While  this  transfer  was  being  made,  my  eye  accidentally  caught 
sight  of  a  piece  of  hrick^  among  sundry  odds  and  ends  of  Innuit 
articles  brought  from  the  upper  village  at  the  head  of  Field  Bay. 
While  looking  upon  it,  I  called  to  mind  the  story  I  had  heard 
from  old  Ookijoxy  Ninoo  about  relics  cf  this  kind  seen  on  Nioun- 
telik,  and  I  at  once  asked  Kusseeung  a  id  Arng-mer-che-ung  what 
it  was.  They  replied,  "Stone" — a  stone  that  the  old  mother  of 
the  latter  had  given  him  a  long  ti'iie  ago.  I  then  asked  from 
whence  she  got  it,  and  both  Inmvits  immediately  pointed  to  the 
island  Niountelik,  which  was  less  than  half  a  mile  from  where 
we  stood. 

Ebierbing  took  this  hright-colored  brick  from  my  hand,  looked 
at  it,  and  said,  "That  is  the  same  as  I  have  seen  on  that  island," 
pointing  to  Niountelik.  He  then  added,  "  Many  of  my  acquaint- 
ances up  the  inlet  (meaning  Northumberland)  have  pieces  of  the 
.same  kind  that  came  from  that  island." 

My  feelings  upon  seeing  the  piece  of  brick,  and  hearing  what 
was  said  about  it,  may  be  easily  imagined.  There,  in  my  hand, 
was  undoubtedly  a  relic  of  that  expedition  which  had  visited  the 
place  only  eighty-six  years  after  the  discovery  of  America  by 
Columbus,  since  which  time  it  has  remained  unknown  to  the  civ- 
ilized world !  This  relic,  then,  was  more  precious  to  me  than  the 
fjold  which  Frobisher  sought  there  under  the  direct  patronage  of 
Queen  Elizabeth.  Until  now  no  proof  had  existed  that  Frobisher 
and  his  expedition  ever  visited  the  particular  bay  or  "straits" 
bearing  his  name ;  but,  from  all  that  I  had  gathered  from  the  in- 
formation given  nio  by  the  natives,  and  from  what  I  had  now 
seen,  a  strong  conviction  rested  on  my  mind  that  it  was  so,  and 
doubt  was  at  an  end. 

After  stopping  at  Twerpukjua  nearly  three  hours,  I  bade  adieu 
to  those  of  my  Innuit  friends  who  were  going  to  Sampson's,  and 
proceeded  toward  Annawa's  at  Oopungnewing.  Johnny  Bull  and 
his  party  took  their  way  to  the  ship,  Ebierbing  accompanying  me. 


LINCOLN  BAY  AND  BAYARD  TAYLOU  PASS.  291 

When  near  Oopungnewing,  we  saw  Punnie  coming  to  meet  us, 
and  soon  she  gave  us  tbe  information  that  Annawa  and  the  whole 
settlement  had  gone  to  Og-bier-seer-o-ping  (Cape  True),  and  now 
not  a  tuple  remained.  Here  again  was  another  disappointment. 
[  had  no  tent  with  me,  having  left  my  own  at  the  vessel,  and  it 
would  not  do  to  remain  without  shelter,  as  a  gale  was  even  then 
blowing,  therefore  we  had  no  alternative  but  to  return.  Accord- 
ingly, we  rejoined  Johnny  Bull  with  his  party,  and  were  soon  on 
our  way,  at  a  swift  speed  over  the  ice,  toward  the  land  pass. 

Our  backs  were  nearly  to  the  wind  and  snow,  and  therefore  our 
trouble  from  this  source  was  far  less  than  if  Hieing  it.  The  gale 
helped  us  greatly  a  part  of  the  way  back.  It  drove  the  sledge 
sometimes  faster  than  the  dogs  could  go ;  thus  occasionally  they 
were  dragged  along  instead  of  their  drawing  us.  Besides  this,  the 
strong  wind  had  closed  the  gap  which  we  had  been  obliged  to 
avoid  in  the  morning,  and  we  now  traversed  the  ice  as  safely  as 
though  we  were  passing  over  a  marbled  floor. 

Soon  afterward  we  came  to  the  glare  ice  of  Lincoln  Bay,*  which 
is  on  this  (the  west)  side  of  the  Bayard  Taylor  Pass.  Here  the 
wind  and  snow  played  fantastic  tricks  with  the  sledge,  dogs,  and 
all  our  company.  We  were  in  company  with  the  other  Innuits, 
but  Joe,  myself,  and  Johnny  Bull  were  footing  it  while  passing 
along  this  bay.  Ilad  the  wind  been  against  us  all  would  have 
been  well,  but  it  came  quartering  on  our  right  hand  and  at  our 
backs,  and  this  caused  numerous  eddies  and  snow-wreaths. 

Wo  were  ahead  of  the  sledge,  intending  to  jump  upon  it  as  it 
passed.  After  resting  a  while,  on  it  came ;  and,  watching  the  op- 
portunity, Joe  and  Johnny  were  fortunately  able  to  spring  on, 
but  I  could  not.  Just  as  I  made  my  attempt,  a  terrific  gust  sent . 
me  whirling  along  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  over  the  glassy 
ice.     Then  my  feet  caught  upon  a  firm  snow-wreath,  and  I  stuck 

♦  There  are  three  importnnt  bays  tlint  mnko  up  from  the  ever-memoriible  "Count- 
ess of  Warwick  Sound,"  wliich  was  discovered  and  so  named  by  Frobisher  nearly 
three  centuries  ago.  The  geographical  position  of  this  sound,  as  well  as  the  nature 
and  extent  of  Frobisher  "  Strait"  (a  misnomer,  for  it  is  a  bay),  remained  unknown  to 
the  civilized  world  from  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth  down  to  18fiO-2,  when  I  had 
the  good  fortune  to  rediscover,  examine,  and  determine  much  relating  to  Frobisher's 
Ex])editious  of  1.170,  7,  and  '8. 

The  three  bays — iinjiorlant  on  account  of  their  geographical  and  historical  connec- 
tions— I  have  named,  1st.  Lincoln  Bay  ;  2d.  Victoria  Bay ;  and,  3d.  Napoleon  Bay, 
after  throe  distinguished  personages  of  the  present  day,  to  wit,  the  President  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  tiie  Queen  of  England,  and  the  Emperor  of  France.  (  Vide 
Chart.) 


292  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

fast  till  I  gathered  my  senses  to  look  round  and  see  where  I  was. 
It  was  snowing  fast  and  furiously,  and  wlmt  with  that  coming 
down,  and  that  thrown  upward  by  the  wind,  every  object  three 
or  four  fathoms  distant  was  hidden  from  sight.  Fortunately,  the 
almost  perpendicular  side  of  a  mountain  that  I  had  before  noticed 
was  within  a  distance  that  could  be  seen.  From  this  I  struck  a 
course  leading  up  the  bay  to  the  land-route.  In  a  short  time  I 
had  overtaken  the  party,  which  had  been  detained  by  one  of  the 
dogs  giving  out.  Casting  it  off,  I  took  a  seat  upon  the  sledge, 
and  away  we  went  merrily  toward  the  Pass.  As  we  drove  along 
we  were  a  curious  sight  to  behold,  for  we  resembled  a  living 
snow-bank. 

We  ascended  the  Pass  on  foot,  crossed  the  summit,  descended 
on  the  other  side,  and  again  made  the  sea-ice  of  P'ield  Bay.  Here 
two  more  of  our  dogs  gave  out,  and  we  cast  them  adrift,  though 
they  still  followed  us.  We  had  nine  remaining,  antl  this  made  a 
good  team. 

We  rested  half  an  hour,  then  started  again,  the  Innuits  endeav- 
oring to  find  their  way,  as  usual,  by  the  previous  sledge-tracks ; 
but  we  bad  to  go  this  way  and  that  way,  in  and  out  among  the 
numerous  islands  covering  the  head  of  the  bay,  until  finally  all 
traces  of  our  route  were  lost.  Nevertheless,  they  would  have  found 
a  course  to  the  ship,  though,  perhaps,  with  some  delay  and  difficul- 
ty, but  I  saved  all  this  by  using  my  compass,  and  thus  directing 
them  which  way  to  go,  and  by  9  P.M.  we  were  on  board,  having 
been  absent  only  22f  hours. 

The  following  day.  May  29th,  was  the  anniversary  of  our  de- 
parture from  the  United  States.  My  thoughts  at  that  time  I  find 
mentioned  in  my  diary  as  follows: 

"  One  year  ago  to-day  the  George  Henry  sailed  from  New  Lon- 
don. It  seems  to  me  a  short  year,  though  spent  in  regions  that,  to 
many  civilized  men,  would  be  repulsive,  and  would  appear  unqual- 
ified desolation.  Still,  I  like  this  country — not  as  a  place  in  which 
to  spend  all  my  life,  if  it  be  one  of  fourscore  and  ten  years,  but  for 
work  to  be  continued  three  or  five  years." 

On  the  following  day,  as  there  appeared  to  be  some  indications 
of  its  turning  out  fine,  I  thought  of  taking  a  trip  to  a  place  called 
by  the  Innuits  $hig-eg-er.  Accordingly,  I  procured  the  services 
of  Ebierbing  and  started;  but  in  two  hours  afterward  there  came 
on  thick  weather,  and  every  indication  of  a  storm.  We  had, 
therefore,  to  abandon  the  journey  and  return.    While  we  were 


MAN-TRAPS.— STARTLING  NEWS.  298 

out,  however,  and  I  was  engaged  taking  observations,  I  heuid  -^ 
cry,  "Mr.  Hall  I"  I  looked  around,  and  saw  Ebierbing,  at  a  little 
distance  off"  crawling  out  of  a  hole  in  the  ice  into  which  he  had 
fallen.  I  hastened  to  his  assistance,  but  before  my  arrival  he  was 
out,  and  fortunately  without  any  injury. 

As  I  have  before  mentioned,  it  is  risky  traveling  on  the  sea-ice 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  on  account  of  pools  of  water  just  be- 
neath a  covering  of  snow.  A  traveler  passing  along  over  an  ap- 
parently excellent  route  often  finds  himself  unexpectedly  floun- 
dering in  water,  and  the  cause  of  this  danger  may  be  explained 
in  the  following  manner: 

I  examined  several  of  these  "  man-traps" — as  they  really  prove 
to  be — and  found  large  leaves  of  seaweed  within  these  holes  in 
the  ice.  Any  extraneous  matter,  such  as  this  seaweed,  stones, 
ashes,  etc.,  put  on  the  surface  of  the  ice,  absorbs  the  solar  heat, 
and  soon  sinks  down  into  the  ice,  forming  a  water-hole  not  only 
the  size  of  the  object  itself,  but  encircling  quite  a  space  around. 
A  driving  storm  may  afterward  cover  the  surface  with  snow,  and 
thus  make  a  perfect  man-trap. 

Soon  after  our  return  on  board  there  was  an  arrival  from  Cape 
True,  where  the  Oeorge  Hennjs  officers  and  men  were  staying  to 
prosecute  whaling.  I  learned  that  they  were  all  doing  well  in 
the  way  of  fresh  food,  ducks,  walrus,  etc.,  being  abundant. 

On  the  second  day  of  June  a  party  of  Sekoselar  Innuits,  six  in 
number,  came  to  the  ship,  and  we  soon  became  very  friendly  to- 
gether. At  first  these  natives  said  nothing  very  particular  far- 
ther than  that  they  had  visited  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's 
ships  while  passing  up  and  down ;  nor  should  I  have  obtained 
any  other  news  had  it  not  been  elicited  almost  by  accident.  In 
fact,  unless  there  be  some  motive  to  engage  them  in  conversation 
with  strangers,  the  Esquimaux  are  seldom  communicative.  It  is 
as  if  the  knowledge  which  they  possess  ought  not  to  be  given 
away  unless  for  some  especial  reasons.  The  Innuits,  as  a  race, 
are  naturally  reticent  They  are  often  distant  and  reserved,  and 
only  by  kindness,  tact,  and  gradually  leading  up  to  a  subject  can 
any  information  be  obtained  from  them.    Thus  it  was  not  until 

the  following  day,  when  aletter  arrived  from  Captain  B ,  that 

I  learned  of  these  Esquimaux  being  acquainted  with  some  facts 
concerning  lohiie  peoj)le  dying  at  Sekoselar.  The  captain  had  heard 
it  so  reported  by  other  natives,  and  wrote  to  me  that  I  might 
make  some  inquiries  about  it. 


294  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

On  the  receipt  of  this  letter  I  immediately  sent  for  Ebierbing 
and  Tookoolito  to  come  on  board  and  act  as  interpreters.  I  then 
invited  the  two  Sekoselar  men  (by  name  Ook-goo-al-loo  and  Too- 
loo-ka-ah)  into  the  cabin,  and  opened  a  conversation,  in  which 
both  participated.  Tookoolito  was  the  principal  speaker,  and  she 
interpreted  very  well  my  own  questions  and  their  answers.  That 
her  interpretation  was  correct,  and  equally  so  their  information, 
has,  since  my  return  home,  been  proved  by  facts,  which  at  that 
time  I  was  unacquainted  with.  Indeed,  I  then  misapplied  the 
story,  firmly  believing  it  to  bear  upon  the.  lost  Frankiin  Expedi- 
tion. What  that  story  was  may  be  seen  in  the  following  sub- 
stance of  all  which  was  related  to  me  through  Tookoolito : 

The  Sekoselar  Innuits  said  that  "nokodlunas  (whites)*had 
ever  been  to  or  ever  died  at  Sekoselar,  but  two  years  previous  to 
this  time  two  kodluna  boats,  with  many  oars  (meaning  many  oars- 
men), arrived  at  a  place  farther  down  (at  Karmowong*) — so  they, 
the  Sekoselars,  had  heard — and  there  stopped  a  while ;  how  long, 
whether  one  or  two  days,  was  not  known.  That  these  kodlunas 
had  plenty  guns,  plenty  powder,  plenty  shot,  plenty  balls,  and 
plenty  small  casks  of  provision.  They  had  many  tuktoo  skins 
(reindeer  furs)  to  wrap  around  their  bodies  and  their  feet. 

"  To  make  their  boats  not  so  deep  in  the  water,  the  kodlunas 
(whites)  took  out  omasuadlo  (a  great  many)  balls  and  placed  them 
on  a  rock.  The  Innuits  at  that  place,  and  in  the  vicinity  where 
the  kodlunas  landed,  thought  the  balls  were  soft  stones.  They 
supposed  the  whites  had  come  from  ships  that  had  been  lost  or 
wrecked  in  the  ice. 

"  When  these  whites  left  the  land  they  went  farther  down  to- 
ward the  big  sea. 

"  The  whites  had  arrived  at  Karmowong  in  the  ftill  of  the  year, 
one  day  when  the  weather  was  very  bad,  wind  blowing  very 
hard,  and  snowing  fiist.     It  was  very  cold  too. 

"The  Karmowong  Innuits  thought  the  whites  had  obtained 
their  tuktoo  furs  of  the  Sekoselar  men.  The  skins  had  on  the 
winter  coat  of  the  tuktoo.  None  of  the  ko'llunas  died  there. 
They  all  went  away  in  boats,  and  the  Innuits  never  saw  or  heard 
of  them  more."  • 

From  farther  questions  that  I  put,  and  which  were  readily  an- 

*  I  think  Karmowonrj  to  be  the  islands  called  by  Baffin  "  Middle  Savage  Islands,'' 
north  side  of  Hudson's  Strait.  Indeed,  it  may  also  include  quite  an  extensive  bay 
in  that  neighborhood,  which  the  Esquimaux  sketched  for  me  as  being  there- 


% 

NOT  OF  FRANKLIN'S  LOST  CREWS.  295 

swered,  I  concluded  in  my  own  mind  that  the  kodlunas  must  have 
been  at  Karmowong  in  the  fall  of  1858,  and  the  way  the  Seko- 
selar  Innuits  heard  of  it  was  by  a  native  man  who  had  seen  the 
whites  and  the  two  boats. 

Now,  upon  receiving  this  information,  I  at  length  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  referred  to  some  of  Franklin's  lost  crews.  Two 
boats  of  white  men  going  toward  the  great  sea,  and  apparently 
subsisting  upon  Innuit  food,  with  reindeer  skins  for  wrappers,  and 
other  such  material,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  a  few  of  the  long- 
lost  voyagers  had  at  last  made  their  way  from  King  William's 
Land  and  Boothia  toward  the  goal  of  their  ultimate  deliverance. 
The  experience  I  had  already  gained  of  Esquimaux  life  proved  to 
me  what  white  men  could  endure  under  the  exigency  of  circum- 
stances. There  was  myself — not  reduced  to  any  such  absolute 
necessity  as  the  poor  English  voyagers  undoubtedly  must  have 
been — yet  capable  of  sustaining  and  even  of  enjoying  life  among 
the  natives.  How  much  more  so,  then,  the  unfortunate  men  of 
Franklin's  wrecked  ships?  To  me  the  matter  seemed  conclusive, 
although  I  could  not  give  implicit  confidence  to  what  I  had  heard 
until  personally  testing  the  truth  by  examination. 

On  my  return  to  the  States,  however,  I  find  that  the  whole  sto- 
ry must  have  had  reference  to  the  loss  of  a  British  vessel  called 
the  A7W//,  which  was  crushed  in  the  ce  of  Hudson's  Strait  in  the 
fall  of  1859,  and  the  crew  obliged  to  >  cape  by  two  boats.  Some 
of  the  particulars  of  their  history  remarkably  co'ncide  with  the  in- 
formation given  to  me  by  the  Sekoselar  Innuits,  as  may  be  seen 
in  the  Appendix  No.  9. 

Another  ine^ance  of  the  fivithful  preservation  of  traditions 
among  the  Innuits,  and  also  of  the  accuracy  of  their  reports  when 
communicated  freel}'-,  is  to  be  found  in  the  following  additional  in- 
formation given  to  me  by  the  Sekoselar  natives. 

In  seeking  to  obtain  the  truth  concerning  the  two  boats  and 
white  men, I  induced  Ookgooalloo  to  sketch  me  his  "country" on 
paper.  He  did  so,  and  by  that  sketch  I  was  convinced  that  Se- 
koselar was  not  the  King's  Cape  of  Fox,  as  I  had  at  one  time  sup- 
posed, but  lies  east  of  it,  extending  along  the  coast  on  the  north 
side  of  Hudson's  Strait  about  two  degrees ;  say  from  longitude 
75°  west  to  longitude  73°  west.  This,  then,  would  fill  the  blank 
on  Parry's  chart  of  that  locality,  and  give  to  it,  as  the  Innuit 
showed  me,  a  deep  bay,  flanked  by  low  lands,  with  a  narrow  isth- 
mus between  the  waters  of  this  bay  and  the  head  of  Frobisher 
Bay,  thus  shown  so  to  be,  instead  of  a  "  strait." 


296  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

The  sketch  which  was  drawn  by  Ookgooalloo  extended  from 
above  Fox's  Farthest  down  to  King's  Cape,  and  thence  along  the 
north  shore  of  Hudson's  Strait  to  North  Bay,  where  the  upper 
Savage  Islands  are  situated.  "  North  Bluff"  is  adjoining  that 
bay,  and  is  called  by  Innuits  Ki-uk-tuk-ju-a,  and  King's  Cape,  Noo- 
ook-ju-a.  When  the  Sekoselar  party  left  home  in  the  previous 
year,  1860,  they  traveled,  as  Innuits  generally  do,  vei-y  sloiv.  In 
the  fall  they  arrived  at  the  head  waters  of  Frobisher  Inlet,  and 
Ookgooalloo  marked  upon  his  sketch  the  track  they  pursued 
from  Sekoselar  to  the  place  where  they  commenced  the  land  route 
across  the  isthmus.  The  head  waters  of  Frobisher  Bay  they  call- 
ed See-see-ark -ju -a,  and  into  it  ran,  according  to  his  account  (which 
I  afterward  found  true),  a  river  of  fresh  water,  sometimes  very 
large,  and  containing  salmon  in  abundance.  During  the  winter 
of  1860-1  this  party  of  natives  made  their  way  down  the  bay  till 
they  came  across  "  Sampson"  and  his  people,  at  the  place  which  I 
had  visited  a  short  time  previous. 

Ookgooalloo  then  told  me  "that  ships  did  not  come  in  sight  at 
Sekoselar,  nor  at  Noo-ook-ju-a,  but  his  father,  Koo-ook-jum,  had 
said  that  many  years  ago  tivo  ships  came  close  to  Noo-ook-ju-a 
(King's  Cape)  and  Sekoselar,  and  that  he,  Koo-ook-jum,  with 
many  other  Innuits,  went  out  to  the  ships  in  kias  and  oomiens, 
and  went  on  board." 

Now  these  two  ships  could  be  no  other  than  Parry's,  in  his  ex- 
pedition of  1821-23,  and  consequently  it  was  full  forty  years  since 
the  occurrence  now  mentioned  took  place.  Parry's  account  is  as 
follows : 

''July  31s/,  1821.  Latitude  6-^°  01',  longitude  75°  49'  west.  In 
the  afternoon  Captain  Lyon  discovered  and  made  the  signal  for  an 
Esquimaux  oomiak  coming  off  from  shore  under  sail,  accompa- 
nied by  eight  canoes.  We  tacked  to  meet  them,  and  lay  to  half 
an  hour  for  the  purpose  of  adding  to  our  stock  of  oil.  In  this 
boat  were  sixteen  persons,  of  which  number  two  only  were  men, 
an  old  and  a  young  one,  and  the  rest  women  and  children.  In 
the  features,  dress,  and  implements  of  these  people  we  saw  noth- 
ing different  from  those  of  the  Esquimaux  last  described  (those 
of  the  Savage  Islands),  but  they  were  better  behaved  than  the  oth- 
ers, with  whom  our  ships  (meaning  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's 
ships)  have  had  more  frequent  intercourse." 

Again,  under  date  of  August  1st,  Parry  continues: 

"  We  beat  to  the  westward,  between  Nottingham  Island  and 


TKADITION  OF  PAUUY'S  SHIPS.  297 

the  north  shore  (King's  Cape),  the  distrnce  between  which  is  about 
four  leagues,  and  the  latter  fringed  with  nrmerous  islands.  In 
the  course  of  the  morning  several  canoes  and  one  oomiak  came 
off  from  the  main  land,  containing  about  twenty  persons,  more  than 
half  of  whom"  were  women  and  children.  They  brought  a  little 
oil,  some  skin  dresses,  and  tusks  of  the  walrus,  which  they  were 
desirous  of  exchanging  for  any  trifle  we  chose  to  give  them." 

In  this  account  we  see  a  complete  verification  of  the  statement 
made  by  Ookgooalloo  as  to  his  father's  visit  to  the  only  ships 
known  to  have  been  near  his  own  "  country."  And  I  the  more 
particularly  allude  to  it  because  of  many  other  reports  given  to 
me  concerning  the  past,  all  of  which,  in  my  opinion,  have  received 
equal  confirmation. 

The  natives  from  Sekoselar  were  not  partial  to  civilized  food, 
especially  Ookgooalloo  and  his  wife  Pittikzhe,  for  they  had  not 
tasted  any  before.  We  gave  each  of  tht  a  a  mug  of  coffee  and 
some  sea-biscuit.  They  tasted  it — spit  it  out — tried  it  again  and 
again,  and  finally  the  man  contrived  to  "  worry"  it  down ;  but  the 
woman  gave  it  up,  declaring,  in  her  own  Innuit  wa}',  that  "  such 
stuff  was  not  fit  to  eat."  Though  repeatedly  urged  to  participate 
in  the  regular  meals  served  to  the  Esquimaux  on  board,  Pittikzhe 
positively  declined  tasting  any  more  "  such  harharoits  food." 

I  found  that  the  Innuits  of  Sekoselar  had  a  very  peculiar  way 
of  speaking — that  is,  with  a  slow,  drawling  tone.  Their  words  are 
"  long  drawn  out."  The  natives  in  our  locality  made  fun  of  this, 
and  it  still  more  convinced  me  that  there  is  a  considerable  vari- 
ance between  the  dialects  of  different  bands  of  the  Esquimaux. 
Another  thing  I  noticed  was  the  physical  superiority  of  these  men 
over  those  living  around  Field  Bay,  and  along  the  coasts  visited 
by  whaling  ships.  Whether  all  of  the  Sekoselar  people  were 
equal  to  those  whomi  saw  I  am  unable  to  say,  but  "Sampson," 
who  was  also  a  native  of  that  district,  showed,  as  I  have  before 
said,  to  similar  advantage  when  compared  with  the  Innuits  in  our 
vicinity. 

After  making  these  men  and  women  several  presents,  for  which 
they  expressed  much  gratitude,  they  departed  at  5  P.M.  on  their 
return  to  Sampson's  tupic,  then  near  Eviduon,  about  one  day's 
journey  N.W.  of  Oopungnewiiig. 


298  ARCTIC  KESKAUCII  EXl'EDiriON. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Journey  to  the  Unknovi,  or  " Dreniled  Land." — Slender  Outfit. — Abundance  of 
Senl-ineat  soon  taken.  —  i>..'l  Weatlier.  —  Sylvia  Island.  —  Lujiton  Channel. — 
Jones's  Tower. — /  IJiitterHy.  — THi)ic  Encampment. — Magnificent  Iceberg. — 
Dine  on  raw  Seal. — New  LanU  — Kemarkable  Gap. — Cape  Daly. — Hummocky 
Ice. — Ancient  Piles  of  Stones. —  Discover  a  new  Channel. — Dr.  Kane's  Channel. 
— Immense  number  of  Seals. — Gr  tat  Slaughter. — Koodloo  still  fears  the  "Dreaded 
Land." — Charming  a  Seal. — Ab'.ndance  of  Animal  Life. — Arrive  at  the  extreme 
Land. — Ascend  a  high  Mounttin. — Ancient  Monuments. — Extensive  View. — 
Davis's  Straits. — Frobisher  IJay. — Meta  Incognita. — Resolution  Island,  and  high 
Land  to  the  North. — Sudden  a])pcarance  of  a  Steam-ship. — Disappointment. — 
Mount  Warwick. — A  Bear-hunt. — North  Foreland. — Return  Journey. — Mode 
of  making  Traces  and  Walrus  Lines. — Note-book  Lost. — Its  Recovery. — Heavy 
Snow-storm. — Encamp  on  n  large  Island. — Anpient  Dwellings  of  Innuits. — Rapid 
Journey  back  to  the  Ship. — Dangerous  Traveling. — Ice  breaking  up. — Safe  ar- 
rival on  Board. — Means  of  sustaining  Life  in  these  Regions. 

On  Wednesday,  the  5th  day  of  June,  1861,  a  day  or  two  after 
the  departure  of  the  Sekoselar  Innuits,  I  prepared  myself  for  an- 
other trip,  intending  this  time  to  visit  what  the  Innuits  term  the 
"Dreaded  Land,"  which  comprises  all  the  islands  eastward  of 
Bear's  Sound  and  Lupton  Channel,  between  Frobisher  Bay  and 
Field  Bay.  As  was  necessary,  I  left  on  board  the  ship  some  in- 
structions how  to  find  me  and  my  companions  in  ca.se  the  ice, 
which  was  becoming  very  precarious,  should  break  up,  and  leave 
us  on  some  of  the  islands  unable  to  get  away.  My  intention  was 
to  fall  back  upon  the  land  should  the  ice  break  up,  and  then,  if 
we  had  to  be  sought,  it  would  be  necessary  to  look  for  us  some- 
where between  Hall's  Island  and  Bear  Sound,* 

Oil  the  5th  of  June,  at  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  in 
company  with  Ebierbing  and  Koodloo,  I  left  Rescue  Ilarbor,  and 
set  out  for  the  "  Dreaded  Land."  Our  sledge  was  drawn  by  six 
dogs,  just  half  the  number  that  such  a  journey  required.  Our 
progress  was  slow ;  for,  besides  the  wai;  i"  of  a  sufficient  team,  we 
saw  many  seals,  the  ice  being  dotted  over  with  them,  and  the  In- 

♦  Hall's  Island,  hit.  G2°  33'  N.,  long.  «4°  00'  W.,  and  Bear  Sound,  lat.  62°  31'  N.. 
long.  (34°  50'  W.,  were  so  named  by  Frobisher;  the  former  after  Christopher  Kail, 
master  of  the  Gabriel,  of  the  expedition  of  I.'iTG;  the  latter  after  James  Bear,  inns- 
ter  of  the  Michael,  one  of  the  expedition  ships  of  ir>77. 


DlLLON  MOUNTAIN.— LOK'S  LAND.— LUPTON  CHANNEL.    299 

nuits  consumed  iimch  time  in  making  their  peculiar  cautious  ap- 
proaches (elsewhere  described),  which  are  always  necessary  in 
order  to  take  these  animals.  Koodloo  is  a  good  sealer.  Having 
selected  his  game,  he  succeeded  in  crawling  up  to  within  thirteen 
fathoms  of  the  seal,  and  shot  him  in  the  head.  In  five  minutes  we 
who  were  on  the  sledge  arrived  at  the  spot  where  our  prize  lay 
by  his  hole,  when  a  general  dog-fight  took  place. 

The  weight  of  fresh  meat  thus  obtained  being  no  less  than  200 
pounds,  we  found  ourselves  in  the  predicament  of  the  man  who 
bought  the  elephant.  What  should  we  do  with  our  seal  ?  Final- 
ly, we  fastened  it  behind  the  sledge,  dragged  it  to  a  convenient 
place,  and  cut  it  up ;  took  with  us  a  part  of  the  meat  and  blubber 
for  present  use,  and  deposited  the  remainder  en  cache — that  is,  we 
buried  it  under  snow  by  the  side  of  a  hummock,  and  tarried  a 
while  to  have  a  raw  seal-feast. 

In  the  evening,  after  our  repast,  we  resumed  our  journey,  pro- 
ceeding at  first  in  the  direction  of  Dillon  Mountain,*  at  the  cast 
end  of  "Lok's  Land,"f  but  changed  our  course  at  ten  o'clock  on 
account  of  hummocks,  and  now  proceeded  due  south  toward  Lup- 
ton  Channel.:}:  Some  time  after  midnight  wc  made  our  first  en- 
campment on  the  ice,  and  lay  down  to  repose  upon  a  couch  of 
snow. 

At  10  30  A.M.  of  June  6th  we  resumed  our  journey,  and  soon 
after  observed  a  seal  upon  the  ice ;  but,  as  we  were  to  windward, 
^it  scented  us,  and  down  it  went.  We  were  still  among  hum- 
mocks, and  enveloped  in  fog.  Before  noon  the  fog  lifted,  and  wo 
found  ourselves  in  sight  of  land  near  Lupton  Channel.  We  stop- 
ped a  while  opposite  the  entrance  to  this  channel  for  a  seal  which 

*  This  prominent  and  peaked  mountain  I  have  named  in  Iionor  of  n  wann  fiiond 
of  arctic  exjdorations,  J.  D.  Dillon,  of  London,  England.  It  is  in  hit,  Gli°  32'  N.,  and 
long.(J-t°  12' W. 

+  The  land  which  I  think  I  have  identified  as  the  one  so  named  by  Frobisher  in 
honor  of  Michael  Lok,  one  of  the  earliest,  warmest,  and  most  liberal  supporters  of  his 
(Frobisher's)  expeditions  of  157G,  7,  and  '8. 

"Lok's  Land"  is  an  island  on  the  east  side  of  Bear  Sound  and  Lupton  Channel, 
and  extends  easterly  eighteen  nautical  miles ;  its  width  is  twelve  miles.  It  is  called 
by  the  natives  A'i-^i-<!(^-j«-a,  which  means  Long  Island.  The  centre  of  "Lok's 
Land"  is  in  lat.  02°  20'  N.,  long.  04°  28'  W.     (Soe  Chart.) 

X  I  have  named  the  channel  uniting  the  waters  of  Field  Bay  to  Bear  Sound  after 
.Tames  Lupton,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  one  to  whom  the  Young  Men's  Mercantile  Asso- 
ciation of  said  city  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  his  great  and  untiring  service  in  its 
behalf. 

Lupton  Channel  (its  north  termination)  is  in  lat.  62°  35'  N.,  and  long.  64°  38'  W. 


300 


ARCTIC  liESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 


was  discovered  ahead.  But  seal,  land,  mountains,  and  clouds  be- 
catnc  closed  in  by  thick  fog;  a  snow-storm  came  on  from  the 
W.N.W.,  and  it  soon  blew  a  gale. 

Tliis  weather  compelling  us  to  hold  over,  we  all  left  the  sledge 
and  dogs,  and  went  a  few  rods  on  to  the  land,  to  prospect  for  a 
suitable  spot  for  an  encampment.  We  found  one  by  the  side  of 
a  mountain  of  rock.  Here  we  broke  up  a  beam — a  part  of  our 
sledge — for  fuel  to  prepare  our  coffee.  We  ought,  for  this  pur- 
pose, to  have  taken  with  us  more  of  the  ooksook  of  the  seal  taken 
tho  day  previous ;  but  we  expected  to  have  captured  another  by 
that  time.  We  saw  two  in  tlie  morning,  but  they  were  shy,  and 
went  down.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  hummocks,  we  snould  have 
pursued  our  course  toward  Hall's  Island ;  but  it  requires  weather 
in  which  one  can  see  more  than  live  lathoms  ahead  to  travel  safe- 
ly over  such  ice. 

The  land  on  which  we  here  encamped  is  an  island  about  n 
quarter  of  a  mile  long,  which  I  have  named  Sylvia,*  at  the  east 
side  of  the  entrance  to  Lupton  Channel.  When  on  the  highest  part 
of  it,  about  500  feet  above  the  sea,  I  drew  the  following  sketch. 


VIEW   FROM   TllK  TOP  Of  BVLVIA   ISLAND. 


*  After  the  daughter  of  Henry  Grinnell.     Sylvia  Island  is  in  lat.  62°  35J'  N., 
long.  W  36'  W. 


VIEW  FROM  THE  TOP  OF  SYLVIA  ISLAND.— JONES'S  TOWER.    301 

Ucre  before  rnc,  looking  southerly,  was  the  open  water  of  Lup- 
ton  Channel,  which,  as  my  native  attendants  informed  me,  never 
freezes  over,  in  consequence  of  the  swiftly-running  tides.  Yonder, 
leading  southeasterly  around  the  bold  front  of  Lok's  Land,  is  Bear 
Sound;  there,  farther  south,  the  low  islands;  and,  showing  dark- 
ly over  these,  the  open  water  of  Frobisher  Bay,  and  away  in  the 
blue  distance  the  huge  mountains  of  Kingaite  {iMela  Jncoyniia) ; 
while  there,  on  the  right,  and  on  the  left,  and  behind  me,  all  was 
solid  ice. 

On  Friday,  June  7th,  haying  slept  soundly  on  the  rock,  we 
breakfasted  on  raw  seal,  and,  with  the  aid  of  more  fuel  (another 
cross-bar)  from  our  sledge,  made  some  hot  coffee,  which  indeed  is 
a  great  luxury  at  any  time  to  an  arctic  traveler.  Not  long  after, 
Ebierbing  started  on  ahead,  while  Koodloo  struck  tupic,  harness- 
ed the  dogs,  and  packed  the  kummitie,  and  I  triangulated  and 
made  observations  for  time,  latitude,  etc.  With  beautiful  weather 
and  a  cloudless  sky,  Koodloo  and  myself  left  Sylvia  Island,  though 
not  before  half  past  1  P.!M.,  and  traveled  on  the  ice  along  the  coast 
toward  a  noble-looking  mountain  not  far  off.  The  dogs  Jhw,  for 
they  scented  and  sighted  seals  in  the  bay.  At  3  o'clock  P.M. 
we  arrived  at  the  base  of  Jones's  Tower,*  the  mountain  just  al- 
luded to. 

A  short  time  after  tliis  I  began  to  ascend  Jones's  Tower,  the 
mountain  which  I  especially  observed  for  the  first  time  some 
months  before,  when  entering  Field  Bay.  When  near  the  sum- 
mit I  made  the  following  entry  in  my  note-book : 

"  4  47  P.M.  With  my  glass  I  see  that  Ebierbing  has  just  killed 
a  seal.  Thank  God  for  our  daily  bread  {seal),  while  we  study 
His  glorious  works.  Thirty  seals  around  the  little  bay  on  the 
ice  ty  their  holes,  sunning." 

At  the  top  of  the  tower  I  took  several  observations,  and  then 
attempted  to  descend  on  the  opposite  side  to  that  by  which  I  had 
climbed  up.  But  I  found  here,  as  I  had  before,  that  going  down 
a  precipitous  mountain  is  much  worse  than  going  up  it.  I  could 
not  manage  it  by  the  new  route,  and  therefore  had  to  reascend  in 
order  to  take  the  other. 

From  the  summit  of  this  mountain  the  view  was  extensive, 
yet  I  could  not  thence  discern  Frobisher  Bay,  although,  as  I  then 

♦  A  mountain  I  have  named  after  George  T.  Jones,  superintendent  of  the  Cincin- 
nati branch  of  the  American  Bank  Note  Company.  Jones's  Tower  is  in  lat.  62°  .33' 
N.,  long.  04°  34'  W.    (See  Chart.) 


302  ARCTIC  RESEAllCII  KXI'EDITION. 

thought,  it  wns  not  more  than  from  five  to  seven  miles  off.  I  here 
(bund  a  butterfly  just  bursting  its  prison  walls.  The  wind  at  the 
time  was  so  strong  as  almost  to  defy  my  power  of  holding  on. 
The  place  looked  like  a  huge  tower  rather  than  a  mountain;  and 
on  one  side  of  it  there  was,  as  it  were,  a  broad  highway,  leading 
spirally  to  within  fifty  feet  of  the  apex.  From  this  elevation  a 
hundred  icebergs  were  in  view.  On  the  way  down  I  found  some 
skeleton  bones  of  a  whale,  about  300  feet  above  the  sea-ice ;  and 
also  tufts  of  grass  and  some  reindeer  moss.  At  the  base  I  found 
Koodloo  and  P^bierbing  with  more  seals  which  they  had  killed, 
and  a  fire  made  of  the  small  shrub*  before  mentioned. 

In  the  evening  wo  encamped  here,  close  to  Kobinson's  Bay,f  a 
beautiful  sheet  of  water  on  the  east  side  of  the  tower.  Here  we 
erected  our  tupic,  such  as  we  could  make,  and  the  United  States 
flag  floated  from  its  top.  Our  appearance  at  that  time  may  be 
conceived  from  the  following  sketch. 


KNi;AMr.MENT  AT  TIIK   FOOT   OK  J()NK»'8  TOWEU. 


Next  morning,  having  a  cloudless  sky  and  a  gentle  breeze 
(which  afterward,  however,  increased  to  a  strong  gale),  wc  pursued 
our  way.  In  a  short  time  we  captured  another  fine  seal,  which 
was  deposited  en  cache,  to  be  available  on  our  return.  As  we  pro- 
ceeded, scenes  of  increasing  beauty  met  my  eye.  The  shore  of 
the  "  dreaded  land"  presented  many  features  of  interest  to  me,  for 
it  was  all  new,  and  especially  attractive  from  its  associations  with 

*  Andromeda  telrwjona,  o,  plant  of  the  heath  tribe  that  abounds  throughout  the 
arctic  regions, 
t  This  bay  I  named  after  Samuel  Robinson,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


CAPE  DALY.— HUDSON'S.  ISLAND.  303 

the  expeditions  of  Martin  Frobisher.  On  tbe  left  were  several 
channels  of  open  water.  Before  and  around  me  were  several  ice- 
bergs frozen  in  the  pack — one  berg  in  particular  being  very  mag- 
nificent in  appearance,  and  resembling  a  Gothic  church. 

We  had  now  advanced  about  six  miles  from  Jones's  Tower, 
and  had  reached  Cape  Daly,*  when  the  rugged  character  of  the 
ice  hindered  our  farther  progress  with  the  sledge.  Koodloo  and 
I  therefore  walked  ahead  inland  about  half  a  mile  to  "prospect," 
and,  arriving  upon  an  eminence  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  cape, 
wo  thence  saw  that  wo  might  have  better  traveling  by  rounding  it 
and  reaeliing  the  other  side.  Accordingly,  wo  returned  to  the 
sledge  and  refreshed  ourselves  with  a  feast  of  raw  seal. 

The  wind  greatly  increasing  in  violence  made  traveling  still 
more  arduous,  but  we  were  determined  to  persevere,  and  so  we 
rounded  the  cape,  but  with  great  difficulty,  owing  to  hummocky 
ice  and  deep,  soft  snow.  Cape  Daly  is  the  termination  of  a  neck 
of  land  distinguished  by  a  remarkable  gap  in  its  ridge. 

Resuming  our  })roper  course,  wc  hurried  forward  toward  an- 
other cape — Cape  Ilayesf — the  most  northerly  point  of  Hudson's 
Island.:}:  There  wc  again  prospected,  and  found  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  proceed  farther  with  the  sledge  on  account  of  the 
hummocky  ieo  in  our  way. 

Hall's  Island  at  this  time  was  less  than  two  miles  distant ;  but 
to  reach  it  by  our  present  course,  on  the  northern  side  of  Hud- 
son's Island,  was  an  utter  impossibility,  in  consequence  of  the 
indescribably  rugged  ice  with  which  M'Clintock  Channel^  was 
firmly  paek^. 

While  examining  Cape  Hayes  we  came  to  circles  of  stones,  evi- 
dently placed  there  many  years  ago  by  the  Innuits  that  formerly 
inhabited  this  now  forsaken  land ;  but  beyond  this,  nothing  worth }• 
of  note  was  to  be  seen.    We  therefore  I'cturned  to  the  sledge,  and 

*  Named  in  lionor  of  Judge  Chniles  P.  Dniy,  of  New  York  City.  Cnpc  Dnly  is  in 
lat.  C2°  35'  N.,  long.  C4°  21'  W. 

t  I  have  nnmed  this  cape  after  1. 1.  Ilaycs,  surgeon  of  tlio  second  Grinncll  expe- 
dition. Capo  Hayes  is  a  low  point  of  land  Hanked  by  a  high  ridge  of  nigged  rocks, 
iind  is  the  north  extreme  of  Hudson's  Island. 

I  Hudson's  island,  so  called  in  honor  of  Frederick  Hndson,  of  New  York,  a  strong 
friend  of  arctic  explorations.  The  centre  of  this  island  is  in  lat.  C2°  34'  N.,  long. 
\'A°  8'  W.  Its  length  is  about  three  miles,  extending  north  and  south ;  width,  two 
inilos. 

§  The  chahi\fl  between  Hall's  Island  of  Frobisher  and  Hudson's  Island  (vide 
i^hati)  I  have  denominated  M'Clintock  Channel,  after  Captain  (now  Sir  Leopold) 
M'Clintock,  commander  of  the  yacht  Fox  in  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin  in  1857-9. 


304  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXrEDITION. 

thence  back  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  bight  flanked  by  high 
mountains. 

While  Koodloo  and  Ebierbing  were  here  erecting  a  tent,  I  as- 
cended one  of  these  mountains,  and  thence  discovered  to  the 
southwest,  between  Lok's  Land  and  Hudson's  Island,  a  channel 

.  .     .  ' 

that  no  white  man  (unless  of  Frobisher's  expedition)  ever  saw  be- 
fore— a  channel  that  probably  no  Innuit  of  any  late  generation 
had  ever  visited.  The  next  day,  June  9th,  we  pursued  our  jour- 
ney down  through  Dr.  Kane's  Channel,*  wliich  connects  Frobish- 
er  Bay  with  Field  Bay ;  the  extreme  land,  which  I  especially  de- 
sired to  visit,  lying  from  five  to  seven  miles  to  the  east  of  the  low- 
er or  southern  termination  of  said  channel.  The  sledge  went 
swiftly,  bounding  from  snow-wreath  to  snow-wreatli,  but  I  man- 
aged to  pencil  down  my  notes  as  wc  rode  .Jong. 

Never  did  I  see  a  more  interesting  sight  than  that  now  present- 
ed. Wherever  my  eye  turned,  seals  appeared  in  great  numbers 
on  the  ice  by  their  holes ;  and,  as  may  be  supposed  from  what  1 
have  previously  said  of  the  Innuit  character,  it  was  quite  hopeless 
to  expect  that  my  companions,  or  the  dogs,  would  attend  to  my 
wishes  in  getting  forward.  No;  a  "seal-hunt"  was  inevitable; 
and  away  wo  went,  at  the  rate  of  ten  uiiies  an  hour,  bounding 
like  deer  over  the  smooth  ice,  and  were  quickly  among  the  ani- 
mals, dealing  death  around.  It  was  tlie  work  of  but  a  few  mo- 
ments; and  the  very  notes  from  which  I  now  write  were  record- 
ed as  I  sat  by  a  seal-hole,  the  water  of  which  was  crimsoned  witli 
blood,  some  of  which  still  marks  the  page  before  me.  Around  mr 
was  a  scene  of  death.  Our  captured  seals  were  Ihw  so  many 
that  my  Innuit  companions  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  them. 
They  appeared  almost  crazy  with  joy,  at  least  so  far  as  they  arc 
capable  of  showing  signs  of  extravagant  delight  in  matters  of  this 
kind. 

Ebierbing  said  that,  "  although  they  had  all  dreaded  this  land, 
it  teas  a  good  land,  and  now  he  was  not  sorry  he  had  come. 
There  was  plenty  land — plenty  water — plenty  seal — and  nobody 
there !" 

In  addition  to  the  numerous  seals,  we  soon  afterward  came 
across  polar  bear-tracks,  and  could  see  where  Bruin  had  torn  up 
the  sea-ice  in  his  path.  But  just  then  we  would  not  stop  for  any 
thing  except  for  Ninoo.     It  was  "onward"  with  us  ijow.     The 

*  Thus  named  in  memory  of  Dr.  Kane,  the  arctic  explorer.     This  channel  di 
vides  Hudson's  Island  from  Lok's  Land, 


KOODLOO  CIIAUMING  A  SEAL.  305 

way  was  clear,  the  day  fine,  and  good  prospects  before  us  for  get- 
ting around  to  "  Hall's  Island"  of  Frobisher,  to  the  extreme  east- 
ern limit  of  all  that  land  toward  the  great  sea.  Therefore  I  urged 
ray  companions  on,  though  it  was  with  some  difficulty  I  could 
persuade  Koodloo  to  accompany  us.  He  had  been  uncomfortable 
from  the  moment  we  had  trodden  upon  a  portion  of  the  "  dreaded 
land,"  and  now  that  we  are  going  round  it  by  the  "  big  waters," 
which  had  carried  off  so  many  of  his  people,  he  was  in  a  state  of 
great  agitation.  But  I  succeeded  in  persuading  him  to  stay  with 
us,  especially  as  I  promised  to  return  as  soon  as  I  had  visited  the 
extreme  land. 

As  we  opened  out  to  the  south,  and  arrived  where  we  had  ex- 
pected to  sec  the  entrance  of  Frobisher  Bay  frozen  solid  like  Field 
Bay,  which  we  had  just  left,  my  astonishment  was  great  to  see,  at 
a  short  distance  from  us,  open  water,  with  numerous  icebergs  drift- 
ing, and  a  heavy  sea  rolling  in,  and  beating  on  the  edge  of  the  floe. 

About  noon  we  stopped  to  allow  Koodloo  to  make  up  to  a  seal 
that  he  was  desirous  of  obtaining,  and  I  was  as  deeply  interested 
as  ever  in  the  way  in  which  he  contrived  to  get  so  near  to  his  in- 
tended prey.  While  the  seal  would  be  taking  its  "cat-nap"  (a  sleej) 
often  to  fifteen  seconds),  Koodloo  made  his  approach  by  hitches, 
propelling  himself  along,  recumbent  on  his  side,  by  one  foot,  till 
he  got  close  up,  say  within  twelve  fathoms  of  it.  During  the  seal's 
ivatdiful  moments  it  seemed  to  be  charmed  by  the  peculiar  talk, 
and  by  the  scratching  noise  made  by  the  scaler.  But  the  animal 
proved  too  shy;  the  charm  was  broken,  and  down  through  its 
hole  in  the  ice  it  plunged  ;  and  away  we  went  again,  our  course 
leading  us  close  by  the  side  of  the  expanse  of  open  water,  in  and 
upon  which  were  numerous  seals  and  ducks,  giving  evidence  of 
animal  life  here  in  abundance.  The  seals  were  frequently  hunt- 
ed ;  and  although  it  did  not  aid  our  progress,  yet  it  served  to  re- 
lieve the  tedium,  and  give  excitement  to  our  journey. 

We  now  neared  the  land ;  and  when  within  half  a  mile  of 
"  Hall's  smaller  island"  of  Frobisher,  I  went  on  by  myself,  leav- 
ing Ebierbing  to  occupy  himself  among  the  seals. 

On  my  walk  I  saw  numerous  bear-tracks,  and  such  other  evi- 
dence around  me  that  I  could  not  help  exclaiming,  "  This  outcast 
region  is  indeed  one  of  plenty  instead  of  barrenness!" 

In  a  f^w  moments  I  was  on  the  top  of  the  highest  elevation  of 
"Hall's  smaller  island,"  and  from  it  took  several  compass  bear- 
ings as  I  viewed  the  scene  around.     But  I  was  unable  to  stay 

U 


306  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

long ;  and  intending  to  revisit  the  spot,  I  soon  went  back  to  the 
sledge. 

During  my  absence  two  seals  had  been  killed ;  but  unnecessari- 
ly, for  it  was  impossible  to  carry  more  than  their  skins  and  livers 
with  us.  Still,  wherever  a  seal  was  observed,  the  two  Innuits 
would  away  after  it.  This  seriously  delayed  us,  and  it  was  near 
midnight  before  we  got  back  to  our  previous  night's  encampment 
on  the  northern  side  of  Hudson's  Island,  where  we  again  rested. 

The  next  day,  Monday,  June  10th,  we  once  more  passed  through 
Dr.  Kane's  Channel,  and  at  8  47  P.M.  reached  the  middle  of  the 
south  shore  of  Hall's  Island.  Here  we  encamped  by  a  little  cove 
on  this  shore,  near  the  west  end  of  the  channel  which  runs  on  the 
north  side  of  the  small  island  which  I  ascended  the  day  previous. 
Ebierbing  went  to  seek  fuel,  which  he  foimd  on  the  shore  of  our 
little  bay  in  the  shape  of  drift-wood.  Koodloo  and  he  then  pre- 
pared our  food,  while  I  was  off  to  ascend  the  mountain  that  flank- 
ed the  place  of  our  encampment.  On  the  top  of  this  mountain  I 
found  an  Innuit  monument  which  evidently  had  been  erected  cen- 
turies before,  for  it  was  black  with  the  moss  of  ages. 

The  "  monument"  was  a  very  long  stone  stuck  up  between  two 
larger  ones,  and  the  whole  made  firm  by  other  stones  wedged  in, 
and  in  a  way  peculiarly  Innuitish. 

The  view  from  the  summit  was  fine.  Meta  Incognita,  Corne- 
lius Grinnell  Bay,  Field  Bay,  Davis's  Straits,  and  Frobisher  Bay, 
were  all  in  sight.  Inshore  of  me  there  was  a  beautiful  lakelet  a 
mile  long  and  half  a  mile  wide,  surrounded  by  several  hills  of 
rugged  rock,  that  contrasted  strangely  with  its  smooth  and  uni- 
form white. 

After  spending  a  short  time  upon  the  summit,  I  began  my  de- 
scent, when,  as  I  turned  toward  the  north,  what  was  my  great  as- 
tonishment and  joy  to  ^Dcrccivc  a  vessel — a  steamer — with  English 
colors,  close  to  the  land !  There  was  the  black  hull,  the  smoke- 
stack, and  every  thing  about  her  seemed  plainly  visible.  In  a 
moment  I  was  back  to  the  summit  for  a  more  distinct  view,  and 
there  saw  her  tack  ship  again  and  again,  presenting  first  one  side 
of  her  hull  and  then  the  other,  as  she  worked  up  and  down  the 
open  "  lead"  (a  narrow  channel  of  water  in  the  ice),  close  by  the 
shore. 

What  my  thoughts  were  I  leave  the  reader  to  judge.  I  was 
all  but  overpowered  with  joy.  I  should  now  hear  news  of  my 
native  home — perhaps  of  dear  friends.     I  should  again  mingle 


WHO  IS  PRESIDENT?— THE  PHANTOM  SHIP.  307 

with  the  inner  world  of  civilization,  p.nd  hear  tidings  of  what  was 
going  on  in  the  ever-changing  theatre  of  active  and  social  life  at 
home.  I  should  probably  know  who  had  been  elected  President 
of  the  United  States,  and  how  my  own  country  progressed  in  na- 
tional weal.*  This  and  much  more  I  should  soon  learn  if  I  made 
speed  and  could  get  on  board  before  this  stranger  vessel  moved 
too  far  away. 

Accordingly,  I  rapidly  descended  to  the  encampment,  and  told 
Ebierbing  and  Koodloo  what  I  had  seen.  Not  a  moment  was 
lost  in  getting  ready  for  a  walk  across  the  land  to  the  other  side. 
Loaded  guns  were  taken  for  the  purpose  of  firing  a  signal,  that  the 
vessel  might  send  us  a  boat ;  and  away  we  went,  hurrying  along 
as  fast  as  the  rugged  surface  of  the  ground  would  permit. 

How  beautiful  was  the  picture  fancy  painted  in  my  mind  while 
we  were  thus  hurrying  across  the  island  from  its  south  to  its 
north  shore.  How  eagerly  I  wished  we  were  there,  and  ready  to 
push  off  on  the  ice,  if  need  be,  to  visit  the  stranger.  What  sur- 
prise, too,  I  thought  within  myself,  would  be  occasioned  by  our 
coming  from  the  "  dreaded"  land,  especially  seeing  me,  a  civilized 
man,  alone  with  the  natives. 

But  all  my  pleasant  visions  and  romantic  fancies  were  sudden- 
ly and  rudely  dispelled  when  we  reached  the  other  side,  and  stood 
upon  a  spot  near  the  north  shore.  No  ship — no  vessel  was  there ! 
Had  she  disappeared  ?  No.  The  object  upon  which  I  had  gazed 
with  such  a  transport  of  feeling  was  indeed  there  before  me,  as  I 
had  seen  it  from  above ;  but  what  was  my  disappointment — my 
utter  amazement  and  chagrin,  when  I  found  that  the  supposed 
steamer  was  only  a  remarkably-shaped  portion  of  the  mountain's 
side  I  Never  before  had  I  been  so  completely  deceived ;  and  per- 
haps, had  I  had  my  perspective  glass  with  me,  I  might  have  de- 
tected the  mistake  while  upon  the  mountain-top.  Yet  even  now, 
after  the  illusion  was- dispelled,  I  was  astonished  at  the  similitude 
which  Nature  had  here  portrayed  of  a  steam  vessel.  The  black 
of  that  projecting  rock,  with  the  white  snow  apparently  standing 
out  apart  from  the  mountain-side  to  which  it  belonged,  made  uj) 
a  figure  so  completely  like  that  of  a  ship,  and  my  change  of  posi- 
tion at  every  few  steps  so  magically  represented  the  appearance 
of  repeated  tacking,  that  only  the  close  inspection  which  I  was 
now  making  could  convince  me  of  the  illusion.    But  it  was  now 

*  Little  (lid  I  then  drcnra  that  my  country  had  been  plunged  into  a  cruel  civil 
war ! 


308  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

dispelled.  It  was  almost  cruel,  if  I  may  venture  to  use  such  a 
term,  to  awake  me  from  my  late  dream  of  expected  joy  to  the  re- 
ality of  so  great  a  disappointment.  However,  so  it  was  ;  and  if 
any  thing  would  have  relieved  my  own  vexation,  it  was  the  blank 
look  of  astonishment  depicted  on  the  features  of  my  two  compan- 
ions on  ascertaining  the  truth.  Strange  to  say,  by  the  time  we 
had  arrived  at  the  spot  where  the  best  view  of  it  could  be  obtain- 
ed, it  looked  no  more  like  a  vessel  than  a  cow !  One  glance,  and 
we  turned  away — I  in  disgust. 

Our  journey  back  was  any  thing  but  agreeable ;  but  we  took  it 
leisurely,  and  at  half  past  1  A.M.  of  the  11th  arrived  at  our  en- 
campment. 

In  speaking  to  Ebierbing  about  the  reasons  for  the  Innuits  de- 
serting a  place  which  we  now  had  evidence  to  show  was  abound- 
ing with  animal  life,  he  told  me  that  tlie  dread  of  it  could  not  be 
removed.  It  had  left  upon  the  minds  of  all  Innuits  an  impression 
of  horror  which  descended  from  parent  to  child,  and  was  likely 
to  last  for  a  long  time.  Even  he  himself  would  not  have  come 
now  but  for  much  persuasion  and  the  influence  of  the  civilized 
white  man  over  tlie  dark  races,  besides  his  strong  personal  attach- 
ment to  me.  As  for  Koodloo,  he  had  been  induced  by  the  ex- 
ample and  persuasions  of  Ebierbing  more  than  by  any  favorable 
feelings  on  his  own  part.  After  he  had  arrived  here,  it  was  plain 
to  me  he  regretted  it;  and  possibly,  in  his  inner  soul,  "  the  myste- 
rious ship"  may  have  added  to  his  superstitious  feelings  concern- 
ing the  place. 

While  returning  from  this  trip  across  Hall's  Island,  Ebierbing 
related  to  me  the  following  anecdote,  prefacing  it  by  the  simple 
remark  that  the  breaking  away  of  sea-ice  and  carrying  off  one  or 
more  Innuits  is  not  a  rare  occurrence.  Once  two  of  his  people 
were  driven  out  of  Cornelius  Grinncll  Bay  while  on  the  ice  seal- 
ing. The  ice  finally  brought  up  against  Lady  Franklin's  Island,* 
twenty-five  miles  from  the  main  land,  upon  which  island  the  for- 
lorn Innuits  landed.  Here  they  lived  for  several  months  on 
ducks,  walrus,  bears,  and  seals,  which'  they  found  there  in  abun- 
dance. They  did  not  make  their  appearance  for  months,  and 
were  given  up  as  lost.  But,  to  the  surprise  of  every  one,  they 
ultimately  returned,  having  efitcted  their  escape  by  means  of 
"floats"  made  of  the  skins  of  seals  which  they  had  killed.     I 

•  Named  by  me  in  honor  of  Lady  rianklin.     Lady  Franklin  Island  is  in  lat.  62° 
B5'  30"  N.,  long.  03"  30'  W. 


.  ASCEND  MOUNT  WAUWICK.— RESOLUTION  ISLAND.         309 

may  here  mention  that  also,  in  returning  on  the  before-described 
vexatious  walk,  we  noticed  a  wall  of  stone — moss-covered  stone — 
at  the  outlet  of  the  lakelet,  which  was  made,  as  Ebierbing  said,  by 
his  people  that  had  lived  a  great  many  years  before,  for  a  hiding- 
place,  to  enable  them  to  kill  tuktoo  as  they  followed  along  their 
path,  which  was  close  by.  Numerous  old  bones  of  this  animal  we 
saw  by  this  wall. 

On  the  11th  of  June,  at  ijoon,  I  put  on  a  rock  a  delicately-bal- 
anced compass  needle,  the  north  pole  of  which  stood  on  zero.  At 
12  midnight  it  was  one  degree  west  of  zero.  At  3  30  A.M.  of  the 
12th  it  was  one  degree  east  of  zero  point;  but  more  about  this  in 
its  proper  place. 

On  the  same  day,  the  11th,  half  a  mile  northwest,  on  the  top  of 
the  mountain  in  the  rear  of  our  camp,  I  took  bearings  of  various 
prominent  places ;  and  while  taking  the  angle  of  an  island  five 
miles  distant  to  the  south,  Ebierbing  and  Koodloo  with  me,  the 
former,  looking  around  with  the  glass,  suddenly  exclaimed,  "Ni- 
noo !  Ninoo !"  pointing,  at  the  same  time,  in  the  direction  of  the 
very  island  I  was  sighting.  In  an  instant  Koodloo  rushed  off  to 
harness  up  the  dogs,  and  I  after  him,  Ebierbing  remaining  behind 
for  a  moment  to  watch  the  bear's  movements.  Presently  I  de- 
cided upon  returning  to  continue  my  work  and  let  both  the  In- 
nuits  go  in  chase.  Eeascending  to  the  spot  I  had  left,  I  continued 
on  to  the  northward  and  westward  till  I  had  ascended  a  still  high 
er  mountain,  the  iahle-tojijKd  '■'■  Moimt  ^Vanoiclv''  of  Frohishcr. 

There  I  remained  for  hours,  with  changes  in  the  atmosphere  so 
tantalizing  that  it  vexed  me  greatly.  One  moment  there  was  a 
beautiful  sky,  the  next  every  thing  was  enveloped  in  thick  fog. 
So  it  continued,  calm  as  a  summer's  day  at  home,  not  a  cloud  in 
the  sky  as  the  fog  lifted,  the  sun  shining  brightly  for  a  moment, 
and  anon  darkened  by  impenetrable  vapor.  I  was  greatly  disap- 
pointed. I  had  fixed  a  capital  point  by  sun  to  take  my  angles  of 
various  mountains,  bays,  headlands,  etc.,  but,  in  consequence  of 
the  state  of  the  weather,  was  obliged  to  leave  my  work  incom- 
,  plete. 

In  descending  to  a  lower  point,  I  distinctly  saw  Meta  Incognita^ 
the  fog  having  dispersed  in  that  direction.  Also  I  saw  Resolu- 
tion Island,  which  bore  S.  12"  W.  (true). 

I  returned  to  the  camp  shortly  after,  but  Ebierbing  and  Kood- 
loo had  not  yet  arrived. 

While  waiting  for  the  two  Innuits,  I  gathered  some  fuel,  kin- 


310  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

died  a  fire,  and  filled  the  tea-kettle  to  make  cofTee.  Presently  1 
heard  the  crack  of  my  rifle,  and  concluded  that  another  seal  was 
killed,  little  imagining  what  had  actually  occurred.  Fut  near 
midnight,  when  Ebierbing  and  Koodloo  arrived,  they  told  me 
that  not  only  one  of  the  largest-sized  seals  (ookgook)  was  killed, 
but  also  the  bear.  I  could  hardly  believe  them.  A  bear?  It 
was  too  much  to  believe.  I  could  readily  conceive  that  they  had 
succeeded  with  seals,  but  that  they  had  captured  the  bear,  and 
without  the  smallest  signs  of  any  struggle,  was  almost  incredible. 
I  could  not,  therefore,  help  laughing  at  Ebierbing  as  he  persisted 
in  the  statement ;  and  I  said  to  him,  "  You're  making  game  of 
me."  On  the  instant  he  replied,  "  Come  to  the  sledge  (which  was 
only  a  short  distance  off)  and  sec."  There,  true  enough,  was 
Ninoo's  skin,  with  portions  of  the  meat;  and  now  we  had  beef  in 
abundance.  The  ookgook  had  been  left  on  the  ice,  at  the  edge 
of  uie  floe  by  the  open  water, 

Ebierbing  told  me  that  they  went  over  to  the  mountain  island 
where  he  had  first  espied  the  bear,  and  saw  the  brute  lying  down. 
On  their  approach  he  sprung  up  and  darted  away.  Three  of  the 
dogs  were  immediately  let  loose  by  cutting  the  traces  with  which 
they  were  harnessed  to  the  sledge.  After  these  three  had  started, 
the  remaining  dogs  were  cast  adrift,  which  soon  overtook  the 
other  dogs,  and  assisted  in  bringing  the  bear  to  bay.  They  bark- 
ed, bit,  struggled,  and  fought  bravely,  the  bear  doing  his  best  to 
defend  himself.  Now  and  then  Ninoo  would  start  to  run,  but  the 
dogs  were  quickly  fast  to  his  stern,  turning  him  round  more  rap- 
idly than  the  rudder  docs  a  ship  under  a  nine-knot  breeze. 

The  dog  and  bear  fight  continued  for  half  an  hour,  when  Ebier- 
bing, getting  as  favorable  an  opportunity  as  he  desired,  sent  the 
messenger  of  death  to  Ninoo's  heart. 

The  bear  was  very  fat,  as  all  polar  bears  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  "  deserted  land"  must  be,  in  consequence  of  the  immense 
number  of  seals  there.  His  stomach  was  filled  to  its  utmost  ca- 
pacity, and,  Innuit-like,  the  two  men  took  care  of  every  portion 
that  was  serviceable. 

The  bear  was  immediately  skinned,  and  the  best  portions  of  the 
carcass  brought  away.  The  rest  was  left  to  feast  other  animals 
than  man.  On  returning  from  this  bear-hunt,  Ebierbing  shot  the 
ookgook  which  he  referred  to. 

Our  feast  that  night  was  uncommonly  good.  Some  of  the  fiit, 
with  portions  of  the  lean,  was  well  cooked ;  and  when  we  lay 


VISIT  TO  NORTH  FORELAND. 


811 


down  to  rest,  I  would  not  wager  that  our  stomachs  were  not  as 
widely  distended  as  bad  been  that  of  the  defunct  ISinoo. 

I  may  here  mei  tion  that  tbe  bear's  bladder  was  inflated  and 
hung  up  to  the  pole  of  our  tupic,  and,  acv^ording  to  Inuuit  cus- 
toms, should  remain  there  throe  days. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  the  12th  of  June,  I  was 
up,  and  ready  for  a  projjosed  trip.  It  had  been  decided  to  set  out 
this  day  on  our  return  to  the  ship,  but  I  could  not  think  of  leav- 
ing this  interesting  region  without  visiting  the  utmost  extreme  of 
land — the  "  North  Forelp,nd"  of  Frobisher.  Leaving  my  two  com- 
panions asleep,  I  walked  oU' alone.  The  snow  was  deep  and  soft, 
making  my  traveling  laborious.  When  about  halfway,  I  ascend- 
ed a  hill  that  overlooks  the  channel  between  "Hall's  Island"  and 
"Hall's  smaller  island."  The  channel  was  free  from  ice  save 
near  its  west  end,  close  by  the  little  bay  of  our  encampment,  and 

presented  an  animated  pic- 
ture of  life,  for  seals  and 
aquatic  birds  in  great  varie- 
ty were  sporting  there.  But 
as  only  a  very  brief  time  re- 
mained for  this  journey,  I 
was  obliged  to  hasten  on. 
At  length,  after  a  labori- 
ous walk, I  reached  "North 
Foreland,"  the  goal  of  my 
ambition  in  this  present 
trip. 

Here  the  view  was  as  en- 
chanting as  it  was  extens- 
ive. The  sea  around,  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  was 
open;  yet  much  ice,  in  the 
various  forms  of  "  sconce'' 
jiicccs,  floes,  and  bergs,  was 
drifting  about. 

"  North  Foreland"  pre- 
sented a  bold  front.  As  I 
looked  down  from  its  heights  (an  elevation  of  several  hundrc'  I 
feet),  the  sea  was  "playing  fantastic  tricks,"  its  mighty  waves 
dashing  in  quick  succession  against  the  rocky  rampart  by  which 
I  was  shielded,  leaping  upward  as  if  to  meet  and  greet  me,  say- 


NOBTII   KOUEIANI)  "K   HiDlllSIlEB. 


812  •  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

ing,  "  White  man,  wc  saw  your  namesake  here  nearly  three  hund- 
red years  ago  ;  lohere  is  he  now?'''' 

Nearly  south  of  North  Foreland  are  three  islets,  the  nearest  one 
fourth  of  a  mile  off  shore.  The  largest  is  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
long,  and  is  distinguished  by  a  prominent  rock  that  looks  like  a 
huge  bee-hive,  with  smaller  ones  on  each  side  of  it.  The  others 
are  quite  small,  being  respectively  about  seventy  and  a  hundred 
and  forty  fathoms  in  length.  In  every  direction  about  here  I  saw 
recent  traces  of  reindeer  and  rabbits,  also  circles  of  stones,  and 
other  signs  of  Innuits  having  lived  here  long  ago. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  measurements  which  I  made 
while  on  this  morning  walk:  The  width  of  North  Foreland 
(which  is  the  eastern  extremity  of  Hall's  Island),  measuring  it  a 
short  distance  back  from  the  cliff,  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
Ilall's  Island  extends  a  mile  farther  eastward  than  "  Hall's  small- 
er island."     The  latter  is  eight  tenths  of  a  mile  in  length. 

After  spending  an  hour  at  this  interesting  spot,  taking  bearings 
of'distant  objects,  and  observing  the  general  appearance  of  the  lo- 
cality, I  reluctantly  retraced  my  steps  to  our  encampment,  a  dis- 
tance of  two  miles,  where  I  found  on  the  sledge  every  thing  in 
readiness  for  our  departure. 

At  9  19  A.M.  we  set  out  on  our  return  to  Rescue  Ilarbor. 
When  out  on  the  sea-ice,  we  stopped  by  the  edge  of  the  floe,  next 
the  open  water,  at  the  carcass  of  the  ookgook  killed  by  Ebierbing 
the  day  before.  In  the  dilemma  which  followed  as  to  what  we 
should  do  with  it,  I  proposed  that  it  should  be  carried  to  land  and 

buried  under  heavy  stones,  supposing  that  Captain  B ,  then 

at  Cape  True  with  his  men,  might  send  a  boat's  crew  round  by 
Frobisher  Bay,  which  was  all  open  water,  and  get  the  blubber, 
and  perliaps  the  meat,  and  also  some  of  our  deposited  seals.  But 
Ebierbing  assured  me  that  it  mattered  not  what  might  be  the  size 
or  the  weight  of  the  stones  covering  it,  Ninoo  would  find  out  the 
deposit  and  rip  it  up.  It  was  finally  concluded  to  save  only  the 
skin.  To  effect  this,  they  girdled  the  animal's  body,  cutting  the 
skin  transversely  in  widths  of  about  five  or  six  inches,  and  then 
slipped  it  off  in  cylinders,  each  of  which  was  to  be  afterward  cut 
spirally,  making  a  long  strip  of  skin,  which  is  of  great  value  for 
walrus  and  seal  lines,  and  dog-traces.  This  ookgook  was  an  ob- 
ject of  more  than  common  interest.  Though  so  easily  dispatched 
— the  rifle  ball,  on  penetrating  his  skull,  causing  instant  death — 
yet,  as  Ebierbing  pointed  out,  it  bore  numerous  marks  of  wounds 


NOTE-BOOK  LOST  AND  FOUND.— THE  GALE.      813 

received  in  a  conflict  with  a  polar  bear.  It  bad  had  a  struggle 
with  its  mighty  foe,  and  had  escaped. 

Wo  did  not  get  ready  to  proceed  on  our  journey  until  12  M. 
Wc  then  crossed  the  floe  at  the  south  side  of  Hudson's  Island, 
taking  the  same  route  we  had  traveled  three  times  before.  When 
we  were  nearly  through  Kane's  Channel,  and  while  I  was  exam- 
ining its  shores,  having  occasion  to  make  some  record,  I  opened 
the  covers  of  my  note-book,  and  found,  to  my  consternation,  that 
its  contents  were  gone  I  I  knew  not  what  to  do.  I  felt  that,  if 
they  should  not  be  recovered,  most  of  what  were  to  me  the  im- 
portant notes  that  I  had  taken  on  this  trip  would  be  useless,  ow- 
ing to  the  break  in  my  narrative  which  the  loss  of  these  would 
occasion.  !My  hope  of  recovering  them  was  indeed  slight,  for  my 
record  had  been  kept  on  a  few  small  oblong  leaves  of  paper, 
slightly  stitched  together,  which  the  wind  might  speedily  scatter 
away.  Still,  I  determined  to  go  back  and  search  for  them,  Ebier- 
bing  agreeing  to  accompany  me. 

Wc  made  our  way  back  over  rugged  ice  and  snow  by  follow- 
ing our  own  tracks ;  but  the  wind,  then  from  the  southeast,  blew 
at  right  angles,  and  made  it  less  likely  that  we  should  succeed. 
Ebierbing  went  ahead,  a  little  on  one  side,  and  I  kept  straight  on 
the  course  by  which  we  had  come.  Thus  wc  retraced  our  steps 
for  some  three  miles,  when,  to  my  great  joy,  I  heard  Ebierbing 
shout,  '^M-ne-va-haf  M-ne-va-ha!" — I  have  found  it!  I  have 
found  it!  And,  sure  enough,  there,  in  his  hands, I  saw  my  little 
note-book,  which  he  bad  just  picked  up. 

The  distance  we  bad  traversed  was  three  and  a  half  miles,  so 
that,  in  returning  to  the  spot  from  which  we  had  set  out,  we  had 
walked  full  seven  miles.  This,  however,  was  not  of  much  account 
to  me  in  comparison  with  the  value  of  my  note-book. 

I  had  directed  Koodloo  to  proceed  with  the  sledge ;  but  before 
we  had  reached  him  a  furious  gale  from  the  northeast  broke  upon 
us,  accompanied  with  much  snow.  This  threatened  an  end  to 
our  day's  travel,  and  I  therefore  determined  to  encamp  as  soon 
as  possible. 

We  traced  Koodloo  by  the  sledge  tracks  down  Allen  Young's 
Bay,*  near  some  sheltering  land,  and  there  found  him,  on  the 
lee  side  of  the  sledge,  flat  on  the  snow,  asleep !  yes,  sound  asleep, 

*  Named  in  honor  of  Cnptain  Allen  \V.  Young,  second  in  command  under  M'Clin- 
tock,  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin  in  1857-9.  Allen  Young's  Bay  is  in  lat.  C2" 
33'  N.,  long.  04"  H'  \V.,  its  east  side  bounded  by  Dillon  Mountain. 


314  AUCTIC  KESEAllCII  EXl'KDITION. 

and  covered  with  drift,  while  the  galo  was  beating  around,  and 
roaring  ahnost  with  a  voice  of  thunder.  So  tliick  and  fast  did 
the  snow  come  down  that  we  could  not  see  a  dozen  yards  before 
us.  Yet  here  did  Koodloo — as  most  Innuits  can — sleep  away  as 
undisturbed  by  the  storm  as  if  in  his  tent.  Here  a  great  danger 
threatened  us.  This  gale  might  break  up  the  ice;  and  if  so,  and 
wc  were  encamped  on  an  island,  escape  would  bo  impossible,  for 
we  had  no  boat.  The  wind  was  so  furious  that  we  could  hardly 
stand  erect,  and  already  it  was  tearing  up  the  ice  in  all  directions 
about  the  main  bay.  It  was  an  awkward  position,  and  one  that  I 
had  anticiiiated.  But  it  was  necessary  immediately  to  prepare 
some  shelter,  and  accordingly  we  selected  a  spot  on  a  point  of 
low  land,  north  of  and  near  Dillon  Mountain,  where  Innuits  evi- 
dently had  erected  their  tupics  very  many  years  before.  Bones 
of  seal  and  walrus,  fragments  of  wood,  and  circles  of  stones,  show- 
ed the  dwelling-places  of  Esquimaux  who  had  lived  there  before 
the  land  became  abhorred. 

The  erection  of  our  tent  was  a  matter  of  great  difllculty.  One 
of  us  had  to  stand  up  before  the  blast  to  break  its  force,  another 
to  erect  the  tuple,  and  the  third  to  try  to  make  it  stand.  IMacing 
the  covering  over  the  tent-poles  was  a  toil  especially  arduous. 
The  wind  seemed  to  press  with  a  force  of  tons.  Flap,  flap  went 
the  canvas,  beating  us  about,  and  giving  us  such  bruises  that  sev- 
eral times  I  thought  it  impossible  to  get  through  with  the  task. 
But  at  length  it  was  accomplished.  All  the  crevices  were  filled 
with  moss,  so  as  to  render  the  admission  of  line  snow  nearly  im- 
jiossible;  and  thus,  in  the  teeth  of  a  remarkably  heavy  gale,  we 
linally  succeeded  in  getting  as  much  shelter  as  could  be  exi)ected 
under  such  circumstances.  The  next  day,  June  13th,  the  gale 
conlinucd  with  unabated  fury  to  11  A.M.  Most  of  the  time  dur- 
ing this  storm  we  had  to  keej)  inside  the  tent;  and  whenever  we 
did  venture  out,  it  was  necessary  to  use  great  care,  lest  the  force 
of  the  wind  should  throw  us  down.  That  the  tent  stood  was  a 
marvel.  But  stand  it  did,  and  gave  us  shelter  until  Friday  the 
14tli,  about  12  meridian,  when  we  resumed  our  homeward  route. 

Our  journey  was  comparatively  rapid.  We  arrived  at  Sylvia 
Island  at  10  P.M.,  without  any  obstacle  save  in  rounding  Cape 
Daly,  though  the  seaward  ice  was  any  thipg  but  safe ;  and  after 
resting  and  partaking  of  coffee  prepared  with  a  tent-pole  for  fuel, 
we  made  a  direct  course  for  the  ship.  Now  came  the  danger. 
Every  where  the  ice  was  cracked,  or  moving,  or  gone  I     We  care- 


OUll  ESCAl'E  FIIOM  THE  DUEADED  LAND.  315 

fully  pursued  our  way,  literally  with  fear  and  trembling.  Not 
for  ono  moment  was  our  footing  safe.  The  thiek-ribbed  ice  was 
broken  into  every  conceivable  form  and  size,  and  nothing  but 
the  absolute  necessity  of  avoiding  detention  on  tlio  islands  would 
have  induced  us  to  venture  on  the  treacherous  footing;  but  it 
was  our  only  hope  under  heaven — our  only  means  of  escape — and 
upon  it,  and  across  it,  we  pursued  our  way. 


a-i*ra*fi1fe9tJ*«ff^- 


IIOMEWAKI)  IIUUND  — Id':  lIREAKINd  tl'. 


To  add  to  the  dangers  01  our  situation,  a  thick  mist  soon  settled 
upon  us;  and  there  we  were,  three  men,  the  dogs,  and  sledge,  on 
the  broken  ice,  in  the  middle  of  a  bay  wide  open  to  the  sea. 
Even  the  Iiuiuits  were  more  than  usually  alarmed,  and  finally  be- 
came so  confused  that  they  wandered  out  of  the  proper  course  ; 
and  it  was  only  through  my  insisting  that  my  compass  was  the 
best  guide  that,  after  going  throe  miles  out  of  our  way,  wc  at  last 
arrived  safely  on  board  the  ship  at  10  37  A.M.  on  Saturday,  the 
15th  of  June. 

Thankful  was  I  that  we  met  with  no  serious  accident;  and  this 

was  the  more  extraordinary  considering  our  rate  of  traveling  (we 

>.were  only  twenty  hours  coming  from  near  Dr.  Kane's  Channel) 

and  the   dangerous  character  of  the  ice  over  which  we  had 

come. 

As  an  instance  of  what  can  be  accomplished  in  securing  the 
means  of  sustaining  life  in  the  arctic  regions,  I  will  here  give  a 
few  particulars  bearing  upon'  the  subject,  and  belonging  to  this 
particular  journey. 


316  AUCTIC  UEtiEAUClI  EXPEDITION. 

Wc  set  out  with 

20  8ca-biscuit,  weight C  Ibn. 

«alt-jimk  "      6    " 

CoH'co  mill  pepper,  sny 1    " 

Tutiil  pruviHion  fur  tlio  tlircu 11    " 

Powder 1  lb. 

Bulls,  ill  iiiiinbcr 80. 

1  rillo,  1  gun,  2  seal  8]icar.s,  with  lincH  mid  Imrpoons. 

We  were  away  ten  days,  and  in  tliat  time  obtained 

1  polnr  benr,  equal  fo 1000  lbs. 

1  ookgook  (Imgcst-sizL'd  seal) IfiOO   " 

9  souls 1800    " 

Making  u  total  of 4300   " 

— that  is,  over  two  tons  of  fresh  meat,  besides  skins  for  clothing, 
and  oil  for  fuel  and  light. 

Most  of  the  meat  and  blubber  wc  deposited  en  cache,  and  the 
ookgook  we  left  on  the  ice;  but  we  were  obliged  to  abandon  all, 
excepting  a  very  little  blubber,  and  the  small  proportion  of  meat 
which  was  consumed  by  ourselves  and  the  dogs.  The  skins  we 
saved. 


A  TIIUKK  DAYS'  GALK.  817 


CnAPTER  XIX. 

An  Excursion  to  the  WlinlinR  Dei)ot.— I'nssngo  ocross  Field  nny.—Siiifiiilur  Mode 
of  (•nptuiinj;  Sciils. — Cnmpcll  Inlet.— Cross  to  Frobishcr  Hay. — Arrive  nt  the 
WImiiiii;  l)e|)(')t. — A  liiruo  nnd  bustling  I'liu'c. — Consultntion  ns  to  Author's  I'liins. 
— Vuin  IIoi)e  of  pursuing  his  Voyage. — I'uto  in  Distress. — A  Wiilk  to  "  Hcnr 
Hound." — Great  number  of  Pieces  of  Limestone. — Bout  Trip  to  Hour  Sound. — 
Velocity  of  the  Tides. — Immenso  number  of  Ducks  nnd  Wild-fowl. — Eggs  ob- 
tained in  abundance. — "Ice  Collars." — Natural  Bridges  of  Ice. — Ucturn  to  Res- 
cue Harbor. — Stop  nt  French  Ilend. — Corpse  of  John  Brown  still  there,  nnd  un- 
molested.— Arrive  on  Board. — Fourth  of  July  again.— Field  Bay  clearing  of  Ico. 
— Look-out  Island. — Lu.xuriant  Vegetation. — Musquitocs. — Ugarng's  Influence 
and  Character. — A  Lovo  Affair. — Little  Ookoodlear  and  the  Outcast  E-tu. — An 
imnaturnl  Father. — A  Chihl  left  deserted  on  a  solitary  Island. — Procures  Food 
by  catching  Partridges  with  his  Hand. — Lives  a  Hermit  Life  for  Months. — Is  res- 
cued by  chance  Visitors. — (irows  to  Manhood  shunned  by  nil  his  liaco  save  a  few. 
— Ugarng's  generous  Protection. 

On  my  return,  June  15tl),  18G1, 1  found  Innuit  visitors  at  the 
ship.  The  only  two  men  left  on  board  were  quite  wclL  I  was 
also  much  pleased  to  see  that  all  my  own  apparel  had  been  put 
in  order,  and  such  as  needed  it  washed  by  Tookoolito,  who  had 
occasionally  visited  the  vessel  during  my  absence,  and  had  thus 
thoughtfully  provided  for  my  comfort. 

The  following  few  days  I  devoted  wholly  to  resting  myself  and 
'  preparing  for  my  long-desired  voyage  to  King  William's  Land, 
which  I  intended  to  make  as  soon  as  I  could  obtain  the  means  of 
prosecuting  it,  and  the  ice  would  permit. 

On  the  17th  another  heavy  gale  burst  upon  us,  which  continued 
until  the  20th.  It  blew  hard,  but  there  was  no  danger  just  now 
to  the  ship,  for  Rescue  Harbor  was  still  paved  over  with  thick, 
.solid  ice;  yet  she  trembled  through  her  whole  frame,  and  her 
masts  quivered  like  reeds.  In  the  outer  bay,  seaward,  the  ice  was 
broken  into  innumerable  fragments.  On  account  of  the  storm, 
the  natives  on  board,  who'  had  come  from  Cape  True,  could  not 
return,  and  those  on  shore  I  perceived  to  be  suffering  from  a  gen- 
eral wreck  of  their  habitations.  Hardly  a  tuple  was  standing. 
The  gale  had  razed  them  to  the  ground. 

My  late  companions,  Ebierbing  and  Koodloo,  set  out  on  the 


318  ARCTIC  KESEAllCII  EXrEDITION. 

20lh  sealing,  and  returned  the  following  day,  Laving  secured  eight 
seals,  weighing  in  all  about  1400  pounds.  This  would  have  sup- 
plied them  with  food  for  a  long  time,  had  they  provident  habits. 

At  this  time  news  came  by  Koojessc  from  the  whaling  depot 
at  Cape  True,  in  Frobisher  Bay.  All  the  officers  and  crew  sta- 
tioned there  were  well,  though  still  unsuccessful. 

As  Koojesse  was  to  return  as  soon  as  possible,  I  determined  to 
go  with  him,  and  accordingly  wc  set  out  on  the  following  even- 
ing, June  21st. 

At  7  P.M.  wc  left  the  ship,  with  sledge  and  a  team  of  eight 
dogs,  including  my  faithful  Barbckark.  Our  load  was  light,  and 
we  went  along  over  the  uncertain  ice  at  three  miles  an  hour.  We 
had  a  thick  fog  all  the  way  in  crossing  Field  Bay,  and  Koojessc, 
though  a  capital  guide,  was  evidently  taking  a  wrong  course  after 
leaving  Rescue  Harbor,  until  I  showed  him  by  my  compass  how 
wc  ought  to  go.  By  that  means  we  got  into  the  old  sledge-tracks, 
marking  the  course  to  and  fro,  and  were  even  with  French  Uead"'"' 
in  two  and  a  half  hours  from  the  ship. 

On  the  passage  I  noticed  another  singular  and  striking  method 
which  the  natives  use  to  capture  seals.  I  will  relate  the  incident 
as  recorded  in  my  journal  of  Saturday,  the  22d  of  June: 

"  We  saw  many  seals  out  on  the  ice,  but  did  not  succeed  in 
killing  any,  though  Koojesse  made  several  attempts.  •  ''^  '-^  *  * 
At  7  43  P.M.,  Rescue  Harbor  time,  the  dog  !Merok  (brother  dog 
of  the  notable  Barbckark),  a  good  scaler,  saw  a  seal  which  he  had 
scented  some  moments  previous.  Aw\ay  he  darted  as  fast  as  his 
now  inspirited  companion-dogs  would  allow  him.  Koojessc  at 
once  saw  what  was  up,  and  set  up  a  peculiar  continued  loud  cry, 
in  which  I  joined.  The  flying  dogs,  with  kummitie,  and  our 
noise,  so  alarmed  poor  seal  that  it  knew  not  what  to  do.  The 
seal  had  his  head  over  his  hole,  yet  high  raised,  looking  at  the 
motley  sight,  and  listening  to  the  pandemonian  sounds,  which 
frightened  it  near  unto  death.  On  we  went;  but  when  the  dogs 
were  within  a  few  paces  only,  the  seal  regained  his  senses,  and 
down  he  went  just  in  time  to  save  life — blubber!  Koojesse  says 
that  young  seals  are  often  captured  by  such  })rocedure  as  this,  but 
seldom  old  ones." 

On  arriving  near  the  base  of  French  Head,  a  little  the  other 

♦  "French  Head"  is  n  prominent  headland,  soiitli  side  of  Field  Bay,  and  so  named 
to  commemorate  tlic  death  of  the  Freiuhninn,  wliich  oernrred  near  its  liase,  as  re- 
lated in  Chaj)ter  XIII.     French  Head  is  in  lat.  02    44'  JiO"  N.,  long.  CA    45'  W. 


SEAL-CHARMING.  321 

side  of  it,  we  turned  toward  Chapell  Inlet,  intending  to  cross  over 
the  isthmus  at  its  head.  The  channel  by  which  we  had  first  en- 
tered this  inlet  in  the  liescm  (August  21st,  1860)  was  now  full  of 
hummocks;  we  therefore  crossed  over  a  neck  of  land  perhaps 
half  a  mile  wide,  covered  with  submerged  ice.  The  floating  qual- 
ities of  the  sledge,  as  well  as  of  the  load,  including  ourselves, 
made  our  passage  by  water  rapid,  though  not  very  comfortable. 

We  crossed  this  "  pass" — used  frequently  by  the  lunuits  and 
the  ship's  crew  in  going  to  and  from  Cape  True — and  entered  the 
inlet.  Here  I  found  many  portions  of  the  ice  covered  with  the 
melted  snows,  and  in  some  places  the  sledge  sank  deep  in  the  wa- 
ter, much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  dogs  as  well  as  of  ourselves. 

On  the  way  Koojesse  again  had  "  talk"  with  some  more  seals 
which  we  saw,  and  it  was  with  great  interest  I  watched  him.  He 
lay  down  on  one  side,  and  crawled  by  hitches  or  jerks  toward  his 
victim ;  then,  as  the  seal  raised  its  head,  Koojesse  would  stop,  and 
commence  pawing  with  his  right  hand  and  foot  while  he  uttered 
his  "seal-talk."  On  this  the  seal  would  feel  a  charm,  raise  and 
shake  its  flippers  both  "  fore  and  aft,"  and  roll  over  on  its  side 
and  back,  as  if  perfectly  delighted,  after  which  it  would  drop  its 
head  to  sleep;  then  Koojesse  would  hitch,  hitch,  along,  till  the 
seal's  head  would  pop  up  again,  which  usually  occurred  every  few 
moments.  But  Koojesse  approached  too  near,  and  this  broke  the 
charm,  allowing  the  seal  to  escape,  and  leaving  the  disappointed 
sealer  to  cry  '■'■  E-e-e-uh  T 

The  great  trouble  with  the  Innuits  in  this  mode  of  sealing  is 
that  they  often  endeavor  to  get  too  near  — saj'^  within  five  or  seven 
fathoms — so  as  to  make  sure  of  their  aim  with  a  gun  or  spear,  and 
this  alarms  their  prey. 

During  our  progress  up  the  inlet  I  observed  a  very  small  new- 
ly-made igloo,  and  asked  Koojesse  what  it  meant.  "TFic/i-ow, 
ivich-ou^^  (wait,  wait),  said  he  in  reply,  and  in  a  few  moments  we 
came  alongside.  The  next  instant  Koojesse  had  jumped  off  the 
sledge,  and  with  a  grab  through  the  snow,  drew  forth  by  one  of 
its  hind  flippers  a  fine  seal  that  he  had  killed  when  on  his  way 
up  to  the  vessel. 

As  we  proceeded  up  the  inlet,  gradually  the  low  land  at  its 
head  appeared,  and  at  two  in  the  morning  of  the  22d  we  had 
reached  it.  From  here  we  turned  westward,  following  the  sinuos- 
ities of  the  coast  for  two  miles,  when  we  struck  across  the  narrow 
strip  of  land  dividing  Chapell  Inlet  from  Frobisher  Bay.     A  few 

X 


> 

322  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

minutes  sufficed  to  find  us  slowly  working  along  the  badly-brok- 
en shore-ice  on  that  side,  the  bay  itself  being  wholly  free,  except 
a  few  bergs.  Occasionally  the  dogs  went^e^/-me?^  down,  and  over 
the  steep  broken  ice ;  then  the  sledge  would  butt  against  a  per- 
pendicular hummock,  sending  us  forward,  very  much  like  a  stone 
out  of  a  sling ;  but  we  got  along  without  serious  mishap,  and  ar- 
rived at  Cape  True  at  half  past  two  in  the  morning. 

As  my  eye  first  caught  sight  of  the  whale  depot  I  was  quite  as- 
tonished. I  had  formed  no  conception  of  its  being  such  a  busy- 
looking  place.  There  w^ere  numerous  and  thickly-crowded  habi- 
tations, white  men  and  Innuit  tents,  mills  {toy  wind-mills),  and  a 
liberty-pole,  holding  high  to  the  breeze  an  extemporized  emblem 
of  our  country !  People  were  already  up  and  about,  and  every 
pinnacled  rock  had  some  person  upon  it  to  witness  our  approach. 
The  dogs  soon  landed  us  on  the  rocks  which  formed  the  "  public 
.square"  of  the  town,  and  quickly,  from  one  and  all,  I  received  a 
hearty  welcome.  It  seemed  almost  like  home  again  to  behold  so 
many  friendly  and  familiar  faces.  Several  Innuits  were  here, 
most  of  whom  I  well  knew,  and  they  were  delighted  to  see  me. 

Immediately  on  my  arrival  I  was  invited  by  the  captain  and 
officers  into  their  quarters,  and  had  an  excellent  breakfast  put  be- 
fore me.  Of  course  one  of  the  first  inquiries  was  about  my  trip 
to  and  return  from  the  "  dreaded  land."  This  I  soon  answered 
by  giving  an  account  of  what  I  had  done,  and  then,  my  morning 
meal  ended,  I  took  a  walk  along  the  beach.  Every  where  I  found 
fragments  of  limestone  in  abundance,  and  my  pockets  were  soon 
filled  with  specimens,  which  I  brought  home. 

One  object  of  my  visit  to  the  whale  depot  was  to  see  about  pre- 
paring for  my  departure  to  King  William's  Land,  and  to  consult 

Captain  B respecting  it.     The  boat  promised  me  had  to  be 

made  ready,  and  therefore  I  at  once  entered  upon  the  subject  with 
him.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  entry  made  in  my 
journal  at  the  time  (Saturday,  June  22d,  1861) : 

"  Captain  B says  that  he  has  been  out  in  this  bay  (Frobish- 

er)  several  times  since  coming  over,  and  that  he  has  been  much 
impressed  with  the  subject  of  my  making  my  trip  or  voyage  this 
summer,  as  expected,  in  a  whale-boat.  He  thought  it  his  duty 
to  open  the  matter  to  me  at  once,  announcing  the  conclusion  he 
had  come  to,  painful  to  him  and  to  me.  The  boat  which  I  had 
made  in  the  States,  specially  designed  and  made  for  my  expedi- 
tion to  King  William's  Land,  was  a  suitable  one  for  me,  but  a 


DISArrOINTED  BUT  NOT  DISHEARTENED.  323 

whale-boat  was  unfit.     Captain  B continued  to  say  that  I 

had  not  an}^  more  of  an  outfit,  provision,  etc.,  than  I  should  take, 
but  that,  with  the  crew  necessary,  I  could  not  possibly  carry  more 
than  a  very  small  proportion  of  what  I  had.  He  found  that  with 
the  boat's  crew,  and  the  three  line-tubs  each  boat  has,  no  addition- 
al weight  could  be  added  to  navigate  in  such  waters  as  he  knew  I 
would  be  obliged  to  in  getting  to  the  point  of  my  destinit^ion. 

"  This  is  a  serious  matter  with  me — one  pregnant  with  such 
thoughts  lean  not  put  upon  paper.  I  can  not,  I  will  not  sell  my 
life  foolishly,  ^f  the  loss  of  my  expedition  boat,  which  was  well 
planned  and  strongly  made,  has  taken  from  me  the  proper,  the 
only  judicious  means  of  carrying  out  my  purpose  of  going  to  King 
"William's  Land,  then  I  must  delay — I  must  lose  one  year  in  re- 
turning to  the  States  and  preparing  again  for  the  voyage  that  I 
am  still  determined  to  make,  God  loilling.  I  will  refer  in  my 
journal  to  this  subject  again." 

Among  the  Innuits  staying  at  the  whale  depot  was  the  woman 
Pulo,  mother  of  the  scmi -white  child.  This  poor  woman  was  very 
badly  off,  her  husband  being  dead,  and  she  had  but  scant  means 
of  providing  for  herself  and  ofispring.  Seeing  her  sad  condition, 
I  gave  her  several  trinkets,  and,  in  addition,  a  box  of  100  percus- 
sion caps.  This  latter  present  caused  her  to  weep  for  joy.  She 
knew  not  how  enough  to  thank  me.  With  them  she  could  trade 
among  her  people  for  many  conveniences  she  wanted.  Any 
thing  in  the  way  of  ammunition  is  thought  more  of  by  the  Innu- 
its than  almost  any  other  articles  that  could  be  named. 

At  this  time  the  weather  was  fine,  and  the  view  of  Kingaite, 
with  its  miles  and  miles  of  mountain  wall,  its  glaciers,  and  its 
snows,  was  grand  indeed.  More  than  ever  was  I  desirous  of  ex- 
ploring that  coast;  and  I  thought  that,  even  if  nothing  else  could 
be  done,  I  might  possibly  examine  some  of  the  places  made  fa- 
mous by  Frobisher's  voyages  in  1576,  '7,  and  '8.  "  Bear  Sound" 
was  but  a  short  distance  to  the  eastward,  and  the  second  day  after 
my  arrival  at  the  whale  depot  I  took  with  me  "Captain"  (Koker- 
jabin's  youngest  son),  and  walked  toward  it.  But  he  proved  only 
a  hinderance  to  me.  I  had  to  go  full  fifteen  miles  to  reach  a  point 
of  land  distant  not  more  than  two  and  a  half  miles  in  a  direct  line. 
I  was  obliged  to  make  for  the  head  of  Chapell  Inlet  by  first  wad- 
ing through  some  soft,  wet  snow,  that  covered  shore-ice  and  the 
land  on  my  way.  Then  I  had  to  make  a  long  circuit  around 
some  stones  and  rocki;,  and  afterward  ascend  hill  after  hill,  going 


321  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

through  valleys  full  of  snow  soft  and  deep  enough  to  cover  my 
whole  body.  But,  wherever  I  went,  small  pieces  of  limestone  were 
ia  abundance,  even  to  the  very  mountain-tops. 

At  length  I  arrived  at  my  destination  on  the  west  side  of  Bear 
Sound.  There — beside  those  waters,  on  whose  shores  Frobisher 
and  his  men  had  labored  for  the  mineral  wealth  which  he  believed 
he  had  found  there — I  had  my  noon  repast,  my  Innuit  companion 
sharing  it  with  me.  Besting  a  while,  I  forgot  my  youthful  at- 
tendant while  contemplating  the  scene  around  me.  Presently  I 
rose  to  return,  and  missed  "  Captain."  I  called ;  no  reply.  Where 
had  he  gone  ?  There  was  a  steep  precipice  close  by,  and  I  be- 
came alarmed  lest  he  had  fallen  over  it.  I  therefore  instantly 
sought  for  him,  and  after  some  moments  found  his  tracks.  lie 
had  left  me  without  a  word,  intending  to  go  by  a  more  direct,  but, 
as  I  thought,  dangerous  course  to  the  depot.  I  followed  him,  and 
we  then  returned  together,  arriving  at  the  tents  much  fatigued. 

While  I  was  stopping  at  Cape  True  the  boats  frequently  went 
to  get  fuel  from  the  scattered  remains  of  the  Travdler  before  men- 
tioned. The  shore  was  strewed  with  portions  of  the  wreck,  which 
would  serve  many  years  for  fuel  for  ships'  companies  occupied  as 
the  Georrjellenri^s  was  at  the  whaling  depot. 

The  crew  of  the  Gcorrje  Henry  were  at  that  time  living  "in  clo- 
ver." They  had  plenty  of  ducks,  duck  eggs,  seal,  walrus,  etc.,  and 
whenever  they  wanted  a  supply  they  had  only  to  go  and  take 
what  Nature  here  so  plentifully  furnished.  On  one  of  these  oc- 
casions (June  2-itli)  I  accompanied  a  party  that  went  "duck-egg- 
ing." It  consisted  of  two  whale-boats,  manned  by  whites  and  In- 
nuits,  under  command  of  Charles  Keeuey  and  A.  Bailey.  I  went 
with  the  latter,  leaving  the  whale  depot  early  in  the  morning,  and 
striking  right  across  a  little  bight  to  the  west  entrance  of  Bear 
Sound. 

On  entering  this  sound  I  was  surprised  at  the  velocity  and  sin- 
gular movements  of  the  tides.  As  we  advanced  the  tide  was  ebb- 
ing, and  running  swiftly  up  toward  Field  Bay.  But  when  we 
had  reached  Ellis  Island,*  the  movement  of  the  tidal  waters  ap- 
peared to  be  reversed,  and  they  were  throwing  themselves  furi- 
ously about.  Eddies,  and  whirlpools,  and  mill-races  were  there 
running  and  whirling  around  in  the  wildest  and  most  fantastic 

*  A  prominent,  bold  rock  island,  west  side  of  Bear  Sound,  about  one  sixth  of  n 
mile  in  diameter,  three  miles  from  Field  Bay,  and  named  after  .John  W.  Ellis,  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio.     "Ellis  Island"  is  in  lat.  02'  32'  N.,  long.  04"  45'  W. 


DUCK-IIUNTING  AND  EGGING.— ICE  COLLARS.  325 

way,  carrying  on  their  foaming  surface  small  bergs,  "sconce" 
pieces,  and  ice  fragments  of  all  shapes,  in  utter  disregard  of  each 
other.  When  the  tide  turned  these  masses  came  whirling  back, 
as  if  madly  bent  on  heaping  destruction  wherever  they  could. 
This  scene  in  Bear  Sound  was  singularly  grand  and  striking. 

With  regard  to  these  tides  I  will  not  say  nr  uch  here,  reserving 
such  subjects  for  the  Appendix ;  but  I  soon  found  this  to  be  a  sub- 
ject requiring  attentive  consideration,  and  this  I  afterward  had  an 
opportunity  of  giving  to  it. 

As  to  egging  and  duck-hunting,  I  can  say  more  about  it  now. 
The  ducks  were  very  numerous,  flying  over  our  heads  in  every 
direction.  They  were  in  the  water  drifting  with  the  sv/iftly-run- 
uing  tide,  on  the  ice,  and  on  nearly  every  one  of  the  numerous 
islands  we  passed.  Wherever  we  saw  a  great  many  upon  or 
around  an  island,  wo  visited  it  for  eggs. 

The  first  island  we  pulled  to  was  one  in  the  midst  of  a  sweep- 
ing, driving  tide,  so  that  it  seemed  to  defy  all  human  exertions  to 
approach  it;  yet,  after  "a  long  pull,  a  strong  pull,  and  a  pull  al- 
together," we  conquered.  The  boat  was  taken  round  to  the  op- 
l)0sitc  side  of  the  island  from  that  where  the  tide  struck  it,  and 
though  the  water  rolled  and  tumbled  as  if  mad,  we  managed  by 
a  plan  of  our  own  to  get  upon  the  top  of  the  magnificent  "  ice 
collar"  that  engirdled  the  island. 

This  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  saw  cider-ducks'  nests, 
and  consequently  the  first  occasion  on  which  I  aided  in  abstract- 
ing the  large,  luscious  eggs.  In  ten  minutes  four  of  us  gathered 
six  dozen,  and  at  another  island,  in  twenty  minutes,  sixteen  dozen 
and  five.  The  eggs  taken  are  replaced  by  fresh  ones,  as  the 
ducks  lay  every  two  or  three  days.  Many  ducks  were  shot,  but, 
owiujr  to  the  swift  tide,  only  a  few  were  obtained.  The  rest  were 
swcp.,  away. 

in  speaking  of  the  "  ice  collars"  surrounding  the  islands,  I  may 
mention  that  if  they  had  been  simply  perpendicular  the  difficulty 
in  mounting  them  would  not  have  been  so  great;  but  they  pro- 
jected over  from  ten  to  thirty  feet,  and  when  the  tide  bad  fallen 
some  twenty-four  feet  it  was  no  slight  task  to  surmount  them. 
We  managed  it  in  some  cases  by  extending  two  of  our  long  oars 
from  the  boat  to  the  top,  thus  forming  a  substitute  for  a  ladder. 

Many  of  the  islands  in  Bear  Sound  were  locked  together  by 
natural  ice  bridges,  several  of  these  being  arched  in  a  most  re- 
markable manner. 


826 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXrEUlTION, 


V  V 


SCALINQ  AN   ICE  COI.LAK  IN   IIEAU  BOUND. 


Wc  approached  to  within  three  miles  of  Sylvia  Island,  the  same 
on  which  I  and  my  Innuit  companions  had  encamped  on  our  late 
journey  to  the  "dreaded  land,"  and  I  could  not  but  view  it  in  a 
most  friendly  way  when  I  remembered  how  its  warm,  dry  rocks 
gave  us  a  good  bed  and  protection  from  the  storms. 

Our  excursion  lasted  some  hours,  and  wc  returned  to  the  tu- 
ples, both  boats  well  laden  with  eggs.  The  total  acquisition  of 
our  two  boats'  crews  was  one  hundred  dozen  eggs  and  five  ducks. 
An  eider-duck  egg  is  nearly  twice  the  size  of  a  hen's. 

At  this  time  Captain  B was  absent  with  two  boats  a  short 

distance  up  the  bay  "  prospecting"  for  whales.  lie  returned  on 
the  28th  of  June,  during  a  fierce  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  and  he 
informed  me  that  the  trip  back  was  made  under  most  unfavorable 
circumstances.  The  previous  night  had  been  passed  on  an  island 
above  Evictoon,  the  only  shelter  obtained  from  the  storm  being 
that  which  their  boats'  saik  afforded  when  put  up  as  a  tent.  His 
own  crew  suffered  greatly  from  the  cold ;  but  the  Innuits  with 
him,  not  finding  sufficient  room  inside  the  tent,  went  out  and  lay 
doivn  under  the  lee  of  some  jyrojectuij  rocks/  They  rested  and  slept 
well,  while  the  luhite  men  could  hardly  keep  themselves,  as  they 
said,  from  being  frozen. 


RETURN  TO  THE  SHIP.— FOURTH  OF  JULY.       327 

On  the  evening  of  Friday,  the  28th  of  June,  having  spent  seven 
days  at  Cape  True,  I  purposed  starting  back  the  next  day  for  the 
vessel.  An  extract  from  my  journal  of  that  date  I  will  hero  in- 
troduce : 

"  To-morrow  I  accompany  Captain  B back  to  the  Geovf/e 

Henry.  He  goes  with  the  expectation  of  remaining  there  until 
the  vessel  is  liberated,  when  he  intends  to  return  to  this  bay  and 
cruise  around  a  while,  and  if  unsuccessful,  to  return  to  Field  Bay 
or  proceed  to  Cornelius  Grinuell  Bay.  Two  boats'  crews  arc  to 
Ibllow  in  a  few  days,  while  two  remain  here  (Frobisher  Bay)  foi- 
a  little  while,  to  continue  cruising  for  whales." 

Here  follows  another  entry  in  my  journal,  made  just  before 
leaving  the  whaling  depot : 

"  /Saturday,  June  29lh,  1861.  I  soon  start  for  home — that  is,  set 

out  for  the  vessel.     Captain  B and  I  are  to  have  one  sledge 

for  ourselves  and  our  traps,  and  will  have  Koojesse  for  dog-driver. 
Charley,  the  good-hearted  Innuit,  is  to  take  another  team  along, 
to  convey  the  clothes  of  two  of  the  George  Ilenry^s  men — one  the 
carpenter,  a  Portuguese,  and  young  Smith,  who  are  to  go  along. 

"Puto  and  Miner's  wife  have  been  mending  my  l-vm-inqs  (na- 
tive boots)  this  morning,  that  I  may  go  dry-shod  to  the  vessel,  as 
we  anticipate  watery  traveling." 

At  8  A.M.  of  the  29th  we  left  Cape  True,  and  at  6  P.M.  arrived 
at  French  Head.  As  we  passed  "  French  Head,"  where  poor  John 
Brown  had  met  his  death  a  little  over  three  months  previous,  we 
had  a  look  at  the  spot.  Lo!  there  were  his  remains  just  as  we 
had  left  them,  except  that  foxes  or  bears  had  eaten  part  of  his 
skin  clothing.  His  corpse  was  untouched !  As  for  the  monu- 
ment we  had  erected  over  him,  that  had  melted  away,  and  soon 
the  ice  beneath  his  body  would  melt  away  also,  and  lower  him 
into  his  ocean  grave. 

The  journey  back  to  the  ship  was  very  difficult.  In  many 
places  pools  of  water  and  broken  ice  led  to  the  apprehension  that 
no  passage  would  be  found ;  and  nearly  the  whole  way  we  had 
to  walk  almost  knce-decp  through  slush  and  water  covering  the 
sea-ice.  But  at  length,  about  midnight,  we  arrived  on  board,  and 
soon  threw  ourselves  down  to  rest,  after  a  most  fatiguing  journey 
of  sixteen  hours. 

Four  days  later  was  the  Fourth  of  July,  and  the  following  ex- 
tract from  my  diary  will  show  how  it  was  celebrated  among  us : 

"  Thursday,  July  4:th,  1861.  Eighty-five  years  ago  to-day  was 


828  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

made  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence.  Here,  amid 
mountains  robed  in  snow — on  a  sea  covered  with  thick-ribbed  ice 
— among  a  people  free  as  God's  own  children  can  be,  we  celebrate 
the  birthday  of  our  freedom.  The  iron  free  sons  of  the  North 
have  joined  us  in  making  the  welkin  ring  with  our  cheers  and 
steel-throated  welcomes  of  this  memorable  day. 

"  Soon  after  nine  last  night  all  turned  in,  agreeing  to  be  on 
deck  a  few  minutes  before  twelve  midnight.  Sleep  stole  so  heavi- 
ly upon  us  that'it  was  1  o'clock  AM.  when  Morgan  came  to  my 
berth  and  called  me.  A  few  moments  sufficed  to  lind  a  company, 
armed  and  equipped  as  the  law  (the  Oeonje  Henry^s)  directs,  read}'- 
for  action.  Some  of  the  company  were,  as  they  leaped  from  their 
blankets,  in  stocking-feet  and  drawers.  Nevertheless,  they  had 
willing  hands  and  patriotic  hearts,  wide  mouths  and  deep-toned 
throats,  therefore  they  '^;rts,saZ  muster.''  The  signal  was  given  by 
me,  and  in  voices  of  thunder  we  spoke,  and  then  followed  cheer 
upon  cheer.  The  ensign  was  hoisted,  while  we  saluted  it  with  a 
round  of  cheers  and  sulphurous  fire. 

"After  a  capital  dinner,  an  old  cast-away  gun,  that  had  been 
lying  about  the  deck,  was  filled  to  the  brim  with  powder,  the 
charge  hammered  down,  and  the  barrel  plugged  to  the  muzzle. 
The  stock  had  been  ripped  off  in  the  morning  by  the  Innuit.s, 
leaving  only  the  barrel.  It  was  now  taken  far  out  on  the  ice, 
placed  on  a  pure  white  bed,  and  fired.  One  grand  explosion  filled 
the  air,  and  the  old  gun  was  shattered  into  innumerable  frag- 
ments, some  flying  over  the  vessel,  others  mounting  high  into  the 
air,  and  one  piece  going  as  far  as  Cooper's  Island,  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  off,  where  it  was  afterward  picked  up. 

"  Such  has  been  our  celebration  of  Independence  Day,  1861. 

"This  afternoon  I  visited  Cooper's  Island,  and,  with  chisel  and 
hammer,  dug  out  some  of  the  '  black  ore,'  such  as  was  discovered 
by  Aobisher's  expedition  of  1578.  with  which  many  of  his  ships 
were  laden.  This  ore  attracts  and  repels  the  magnetic  needle 
about  like  iron.    It  is  very  heavy." 

0.1  the  6th  of  July  I  went  to  Whale  Island  for  the  purpose  of 
looking  seaward,  that  I  might  see  the  state  of  the  ice  and  consider 
the  probability  of  the  ship  becoming  free.  It  was  only  about  six 
miles  to  the  open  w^ater — the  sea.  Good  prospect,  therefore,  of 
soon  being  entirely  free.  All  the  ice,  except  that  around  the 
ship,  where  islands  blocked  up  the  passages,  had  drifted  away, 
and  hope  rose  strong  within  us  that  we  should  soon  be  able  to 


FLOWERS.— MUSQUITOES.—UGAUNG.  820 

make  sail  from  Rescue  Ilarbor  where  the  vessel  had  lain  so 
long. 

Another  island  {Look-out  Island)  I  found  wholly  destitute  of 
snow,  and  vegetation  was  quite  luxuriant  upon  it.  Grasses  and 
flowers  looked  truly  beautiful  when  contrasted  with  the  bay  and 
snow-covered  mountains  around. 

On  the  7th  of  July  we  were  visited  by  the  first  miisquilocs  of 
the  season  ;  and,  from  the  torment  they  gave  me,  I  was  strongly 
reminded  of  my  sufferings  at  Ilolsteinborg  the  previous  year,  and 
also  had  a  taste  of  what  would  probably  come. 

Another  arrival  this  day  was  Ugarng  and  his  wives.  He  was 
loaded  with  the  spoils  of  a  successful  reindeer  hunt,  and,  in  addi- 
tion, had  killed  a  wliile  whale  in  Cornelius  Grinnoll  Bay.  He  and 
several  more  Innuits  went  off  to  the  whale  depot  to  see  what  pros- 
pects existed  there  for  hunting  or  fisliing,  but  he  did  not  remain 
long.  Upon  his  return  ho  determined  to  revisit  the  place  he  had 
lately  left. 

Ugarng  had  great  influence  among  his  people,  and  I  have  often 
thought  he  was  not  a  man  to  be  wholly  trusted.  Indeed,  I  some- 
times felt  that  nothing  ever  done  for  him  would  cause  a  grateful 
return.  lie  was  a  bold,  successful,  and  experienced  hunter,  and, 
as  such,  was  frequently  engaged  by  the  whalers  he  encountered ; 
but  little  dependence  could  be  placed  upon  him.  The  strongest 
agreement  would  be  instantly  set  at  naught  whenever  he  saw  any 
thing  more  likely  to  conduce  to  his  own  interest. 

In  the  present  case  Ugarng  was  using  all  his  powers  of  persua- 
sion to  induce  every  Innuit  to  leave  our  locality  and  go  with  him. 
What  his  real  motive  was  I  can  not  say ;  but  it  is  probable  that 
now,  when  there  was  abundance  to  be  had  by  hunting  and  seal- 
inof,  he — who  disliked  the  restraints  of  civilization — wanted  to  go 
fixrther  away,  and  to  take  along  all  his  friends,  relatives,  and  ac- 
quaintances, so  as  to  be  perfectly  and  absolutely  free.  He  tried 
every  means  to  induce  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito  to  go  with  him, 
and  for  a  time  there  was  some  hesitation  on  their  part  about  it ; 
but  their  attachment  to  me  prevailed,  and  neither  of  them  would 
consent  to  go.  A  general  migration,  however,  did  take  place. 
Many,  of  the  Innuits  accompanied  Ugarng ;  and  I  afterward  heard 
that  several  others,  as  Annawa,  Artarkparu,  and  all  belonging  and 
known  to  them,  went  away  about  the  same  time  from  the  whaling 
depot  (where  a  few  of  the  ships'  crews  still  remained  to  look  for 
whales),  taking  their  course  up  Frobisher  Bay. 

Ugarng's  party  consisted  of  his  two  wives,  Kunniu  and  Punnie ; 


330  AllCTir  UESKAUCII  EXl'KDITION. 

infant,  Mc-noun  ;  nephew,  Eterloong;  and  his  aged  motlier,  Ooki- 
joxy  Ninoo,  besides  Johnny  Bull  and  his  wife  Kokerzhun,  Bob 
and  his  wife  Polly,  Blind  George  and  his  daughter  Kookooyer, 
and,  lastly,  E-tu  the  wi/c/ess. 

About  the  time  the  great  leave-taking  took  place  between  these 
unsophisticated  children  of  the  North  and  Ebierbing  with  his 
wife,  an  incident  occurred  that  especially  deserves  to  be  recorded. 
There  was  an  Innuit  young  man  named  E-ta,  who  had  lately 
joined  the  natives  here  from  some  other  place.  Tliis  Etu  1  had 
noticed  as  somewhat  singular  in  his  ways,  and  remarkable  in  his 
appearance.  He  was  much  under  the  protection  or  rule  of 
Ugarng,  and  seemed  to  be  his  willing  follower. 

Now  Ugarng  wanted  little  Ookoodli\ir  (cousin  of  Ebierbing 
and  niece  of  Ugarng)  to  marry  this  Etu,  but  she  unhesitatingly 
exjiressed  her  dislike  to  the  proposal. 

On  the  day  of  Ugarng  and  his  company's  dej)arture,  I  was  on 
shore  to  bid  them  all  farewell. 

About  the  time  this  company  of  Innuits  was  ready  to  start  for 
Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay  (July  15th),  I  went  over  to  Whale  Island. 
As  I  arrived  there  I  looked  toward  Look-out  Island,  and  found 
that  the  boat  of  Bob's,  with  several  natives,  was  on  the  move 
southeast  toward  the  open  water.  The  boat  was  lashed  upon  a 
sledgo  drawn  by  a  portion  of  Ebierbing''s  dogs,  the  natives  assist- 
ing in  pushing.  Just  by  Whale  Island  was  Ugarng's  sledge  load- 
ed with  tuples,  and  nearly  in  readiness  for  the  final  start. 

I  went  into  Ebierbing's  tuj^ic,  and  there  found  Tookoolito  busy 
in  attending  to  her  friend  Kokcrzhun's  departure.  These  two 
women  were  strong  friends,  and  the  separation  for  what  would 
probably  be  a  long  time  was  evidently  painful;  but  I  saw  some 
one  else  also  much  affected.  Little  Ookoodlear  was  weeping  as 
if  her  heart  would  break,  and,  on  inquiry,  I  ascertained  it  was  be- 
cause Ugarng  wanted  to  take  her  away  and  marry  her  to  Etu. 
So  great  was  her  dislike  to  the  young  man  that  nothing  but  force 
would  make  her  his  wife. 

Ebierbing,  seeing  the  WTctchcdncss  of  her  mind  on  the  subject, 
went,  in  company  wath  Koodloo,  to  Etu,  and  told  him  that  the 
girl  was  yet  too  young  to  marry,  and  that,  moreover,  she  did  not 
like  him.  This  explanation  had  some  effect,  and  Ookoodlear  was 
allowed  to  remain  behind  on  Ebierbing  declaring  that  he  and  his 
wife  would  be  her  protectors. 

I  heard  a  most  extraordinary  account  of  this  Etu.  It  seems 
that,  in  consequence  of  something  that  happened  to  his  mother  be- 


SrOTTlCl)  noY.— nilEVOOllT  ISLAND.—CAI'E  MUUCIIISON.    381 

foro  he  was  born,  tlio  poor  iiifiuit  ciitnc  into  tlio  world  marked  all 
over  with  snow-whito  spots  and  blaek  spots,  jiiHt  like  a  hm-ou-Uk, 
a  largo  spotted  kind  of  seal.  The  lather,  looking  u2)on  this  spot- 
ted child  as  a  monster — a  living  curse  lii  his  family — determined 
to  get  rid  of  him,  and  accordingly  conveyed  the  boy  to  Ki-hi-lak- 
Ju-a,  i.  c.,  Long  Island,  called  by  me  lirevoort  Island,*  the  southern 
point  of  which  is  Cape;  Murchison.f  This  island  was  (piite  desti- 
tute of  means  of  subsistence,  and,  to  appearance,  the  poor  boy  was 
left  there  to  perish  by  starvation.  Strange  to  say,  however,  Ktu 
lived  on.  lie  succeeded  in  catching  partridges  nu'lh  ///cv  //(0((/.s',  an 
act  never  before  or  since  known  to  have  been  done  by  Innuits. 
Thus  the  summer  passed  on,  and  winter  approached.  Still  he 
lived,  subsisting  upon  whatsoever  he  could  iind  in  the  shape  of 
food,  a  wild  hermit-boy,  on  a  solitary,  almost  unapproachable  isl- 
and, far  from  his  fellow-beings.  Keleaso  came  to  him  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner: 

One  day  a  party  of  Innuits  visited  the  island,  and,  to  their  as- 
tonishment, saw  this  young  child  standing  upon  a  rock  looking  at 
them.  He  was  like  a  statue,  and  they,  knowing  the  place  to  be 
uninhabited,  could  hardly  tell  what  to  think  of  it.  At  length 
they  went  toward  him,  and  he,  seeing  them  kindly  disposed,  at 
once  rushed  into  their  arms,  and  was  thus  saved  from  the  cruel 
death  intended  for  him  by  his  inhuman  father. 

Since  then  he  had  grown  to  manhood,  being,  when  I  saw  him, 
about  twenty-five  years  old.  He  had  had  three  wives,  none  of 
which  remained  to  him.  The  first  was  accidentally  drowned ; 
the  second  was  taken  away  by  her  mother ;  and  the  third — her  fate 
I  never  learned.  His  intended  fourth,  Ookoodlear,  who  was  only 
about  thirteen  years  old,  escaped  in  the  way  I  have  mentioned. 

Etu's  fortune  was  a  hard  one.  Few  liked  him.  lie  seemed  to 
be  lahooed  from  his  youth,  and  as  if  always  destined  to  be  an  out- ' 
cast,  because  Nature  had  put  marks  upon  his  body,  making  him 
to  differ  from  others  of  his  kind.  Whether  it  was  the  knowledge 
of  this  isolation  that  made  him  a  lazy  and  indifferent  huntei"(  I 
can  not  say ;  but  certain  it  is,  such  was  the  character  he  had,  and 
it  redounds  to  the  credit  of  Ugarng  that  he  gave  the  poor  fellow 
the  hand  of  friendship  in  the  way  he  did. 

•  So  named  after  J.  Carson  Brevoort,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  This  is  a  very 
long  and  prominent  island  south  of  the  cape,  on  the  west  side  of  the  entrance  to 
Northumberland  Inlet ;  its  southern  cnpc — Capo  Murchison — is  nearly  on  a  paral- 
lel with  the  north  entrance  to  Cornelius  Grinnell  Baj'. 

t  Named  after  Sir  Roderick  I.  Murchison,  of  London,  England.  Cape  Murchi- 
son, the  south  extreme  of  Brevoort  Island,  is  in  hit.  G3°  13'  N.,  long.  G3°  ."),")'  W. 


332  ARCTIC  llESEARCII  EXrEDlTlOX. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

The  George  Henry  free  from  her  icy  Prison. — Dog  "  Smile"  capturing  a  Seal. — Fresli 
Fish  caught. — Another  Trip  to  the  Wlialing  Dei)6t. — Immense  Flocks  of  Ducks. 
— Large  Shoals  of  Walrus. — A  Walrus-attack  on  the  Bout. — Islands  inFrobisher 
Bay.  — lunuit  Diseases.  —  Consumption. — Sharkey's  Wife.  — "Las-as-ses." — In- 
nuit  love  for  Sweets. — Uetura  Trip  tlirough  Lupton  Channel. — French  Head 
again. — Corpse  of  John  Brown  gone. — All  the  Ice  disapjieared. — Great  Heat. — 
Traveling  over  broken  Ice. — Dangerous  Lca])s. — The  Rescue's  Ghost. — Sujjcrsti- 
tion  of  Sailors. — Ice-floes  pressing  on  the  Ship, — Great  Danger. — The  "Ghost" 
again  apjKiars. — Author's  attempt  to  form  a  Vocabulary. — Aid  of  Tookoolito. — 
The  Innuits  fast  passing  away. — Return  of  all  the  Crew  from  Whaling  Depot. — 
Mate  ]?ogers. — Incidents  of  his  Trip  u])  the  Bay. — Serious  Illness  of  some  Innuits. 
— Starvati'in. — A  good  Harbor. — Eating  Ducks  raw. — Arrival  on  Board. — Au- 
thor's Plans  for  exploring. — Leaves  the  Ship. — Takes  up  his  Abode  with  the  Na- 
tives.— The  George  Henry  departs. — Author's  Visit  to  tlie  Rescue's  Hull. — Arctic 
Robins. — Unexpected  Return  of  the  Ship. — Ebierbing  sick. — Jennie,  the  Angeko. 
— Practice  of  Ankooting. — Philosophy  of  the  Operation. — Opening  for  Missionary 
Enterjirise. — Pcniniican,  best  Mode  of  jjrejiaring  it. — Author  Visits  the  Ship. — 
Returns  to  Whale  Island. — Ankooting  again. — Solemnity  of  the  Company  pres- 
ent.— Superstition. — Nice  D'stinction  as  to  what  is  Work. — Final  Visit  to  the 
Ship. — Natives'  Doubts  removed. — Crew  completed. — The  Fashions. — Suzhi  the 
heaviest  Innuit. — Preparations  for  the  Boat  Voyage  nearly  made. 

Ox  Wednesday  morning,  the  17th  of  July,  1861,  we  were  de- 
lighted to  find  that  our  ship  had  broken  from  lier  eight  months' 
imprisonment  during  the  past  night,  and  now  swung  to  her  chains 
in  the  tidal  waters  of  Rescue  Harbor.  But  it  was  only  in  a  pool 
she  was  free.  Ice  still  intervened  between  our  anchorage  and 
the  main  bay,  and  we  could  do  nothing  but  wait  yd  longer  with 
whatever  patience  wc  could  command.  I  myself  was  getting 
(]^uite  impatient.  Time  was  passing  on,  and  no  chance  yet  of- 
fered for  my  going  awoy  on  one  or  other  of  my  intended  explo- 
rations. What  could  I  do?  I  was,  at  times,  as  if  crazy;  and 
only  a  walk  on  some  island,  where  I  could  examine  and  survey, 
or  a  visit  to  my  Innuit  friends,  helped  to  soothe  me.  But  the 
reader  will  feel  little  interest  in  all  this;  I  will  therefore  pass  on 
to  some  other  incidents  of  my  voyage. 

Ebierbing  liad  been  out  one  day  with  dogs  and  sledge  where 
the  ice  was  still  firm,  when  suddenly  a  seal  was  noticed  ahead. 


SLEDGE  AND  BOAT  TUIP. 


333 


In  an  instant  the  clogs  were  off  toward  tbc  prey,  drawing  the 
sledge  after  tbem  at  a  marvelous  rate.  The  seal  for  a  moment 
acted  as  if  frightened,  and  kept  on  the  ice  a  second  or  two  too 
long,  for  just  as  he  plunged,  "aS'»u7c,"  the  noblest-looking,  best 
leader,  seal,  and  bear  dog  I  ever  saw,  caught  him  by  the  tail 
and  flippers.  The  seal  struggled  violently,  and  so  did  dog  Smile, 
making  the  sledge  to  caper  about  merrily ;  but  in  a  moment  more 
the  other  dogs  laid  hold,  and  aided  in  dragging  the  seal  out  of  his 
hole  on  the  ice,  when  iSinik  took  it  wholly  in  charge.  The  prize 
was  secured  this  time  wholly  by  the  dogs. 


IX)U  "smile"   CAITDBES  A   SEAL. 


On  the  18th  we  had  an  excellent  supper  o?  fresh  fish,  caught  by 
the  Innuits  with  spears  and  hooks  among  the  ice  cracks;  and  al- 
most daily  something  fresh  was  added  to  our  food. 

At  this  time  most  of  the  ship's  crew  were  again  at  the  whaling 
depot,  cruising  in  every  direction  for  whales.  Indeed,  Mate  Rog- 
ers and  some  of  the  men  had  been  left  there  to  keep  a  look-out 
when  the  captain  came  away,  to  sec  about  getting  the  vessel  round, 
and  frequent  communication  had,  as  usual,  been  maintained. 

On  the  28d  it  was  necessary  to  send  a  supply  of  sundries  to  the 
comjiany  there,  and  a  boat's  crew  were  dispatched,  I  accompany- 
ing them. 

As  the  ice  still  hung  together  between  the  ship  and  open  water 
in  the  bay,  the  boat  was  lashed  upon  a  sledge  drawn  by  dogs,  my 
favorite  Barbokark  being  one,  and  away  we  started,  arriving  at 
the  sea-edge  of  the  ice  in  about  two  hours'  time.  There  we  launch- 
ed the  boat,  and  were  soon  bounding  along  upon  the  sparkling 


334  ARCTIC  KESEARCII  EXPEDITION. 

waves  toward  Lupton  Channel.  Many  seals  were  seen  bobbin"' 
their  heads  above  water;  and,  as  we  entered  among  the  islands 
within  the  channel,  ducks  were  to  be  seen  in  every  direction,  some 
flying,  some  in  the  water,  and  some  on  the  islands.  They  were 
in  such  numbers  that,  when  above  us,  they  almost  darkened  the 
air.  Nearly  all  were  hing  ducks  (males),  their  mates  being  en- 
gaged in  domestic  affairs  at  home — sitting — while  the  "lords  of 
the  house"  were  gathering  food  for  them. 

In  passing  through  the  channel  and  Bear  Sound  the  tide  was 
favorable,  and  swept  us  along  with  great  rapidity.  Occasionally 
wc  were  in  a  mill-race  of  waters,  and  it  required  much  care  to 
navigate  the  boat. 

At  a  quarter  past  4  VM.  we  reached  the  whaling  dqiot,  dis- 
tant about  thirty  miles,  having  been  eleven  hours  coming  from 
the  ship. 

We  found  the  officers  and  men  all  well  and  in  good  condition. 
They  had  lived  on  ducks,  duck  eggs,  seal,  walrus,  and  venison, 
which  they  had  in  abundance,  but  they  were  much  disheartened 
at  their  poor  success  in  whaling.  Not  a  whale  had  been  caught 
since  the  past  fall.  Walrus  in  any  numbers  could  be  obtained, 
and  many  had  been  secured  for  their  skins  and  tusks;  but  the 
main  object  of  the  voyage  had  as  3^et  been  a  failure. 

With  reference  to  the  walrus,  Mr.  Rogers  told  me  that  one  da}-, 
when  out  cruising  for  whales,  he  went,  with  two  boats  and  crews, 
half  way  across  Frobisher  Bay,  and  then  came  to  an  iceberg  one 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  and,  mounting  it,  with  a  spy-glass, 
took  a  look  all  around.  Whales  there  were  none;  but  walrus — 
"Why,"  to  use  his  figurative  but  cxpres'sive  words,  "there  were 
millions  out  on  the  pieces  of  ice,  drifting  with  the  tide — walrus  in 
every  direction — millions  on  millions." 

On  their  way  back,  ^fr.  Lamb,  in  charge  of  the  second  boat,  had 
a  fight  with  some  walrus  in  the  following  manner.  Approaching 
a  piece  of  ice  on  which  some  of  these  creatures  were  basking,  he 
attacked  one  of  them,  whereupon  all  the  rest  immediately  rushed 
toward  the  boat,  and  vigorously  set  upon  him  and  his  crew.  For 
a  time  it  seemed  necessary  to.  fly  for  safety ;  but  all  hands  resisted 
the  attack,  and  would  have  got  off  very  well,  but  that  one  of  the 
walrus  herd  pierced  the  boat's  side  with  his  tusks,  and  made  the 
invaders  retreat  to  repair  damages.  Mr.  Lamb  had  to  drag  his 
boat  upon  an  ice-floe  near  by,  and  stuff"  in  oakum  to  stop  a  seri- 
ous leak  thus  caused.     Finally  be  succeeded,  though  with  some 


SWIFT  TIDES  IN  BEAR  SOUND.  335 

difficulty,  in  getting  back,  and  thus  ended  bis  encounter  with  a 
shoal  of  walrus. 

With  reference  to  Frobisber  Bay,  I  may  here  mention  that,  on 
taking  a  look  with  my  glass  from  "  Flag-staff  Hill,"  adjoining  this 
whaling  depot,  and  sweeping  around  from  the  southeast  extreme 
of  Meta  Incognita  toward  the  land  I  recently  visited  (the  dreaded 
land),  I  was  astonished  to  see,  just  on  the  horizon,  what  appeared 
to  be  islands  stretching  nearly  across.  One  of  the  Innuits  (Shar- 
key) told  me  that  he  bad  beei\  to  those  islands,  and  that  his  peo- 
ple sometimes  make  a  passage  across  the  entrance  of  the  bay  by 
starting  on  the  Kingaite  side,  and  then  striking  from  one  island  to 
the  other,  by  way  of  Too-jar-choo-ar  (Resolution  Island),  until  able 
to^make  the  distance  (avoiding  the  dreaded  district)  to  the  place 
where  we  then  were — Cape  True.  Years  ago  reindeer  were  very 
^numerous  on  those  islands,  but  at  last  the  moss  failed  and  they  all 
died.  Their  horns  and  bones  are  to  be  found  scattered  all  over 
the  place.     Polar  bears  are  plenty  there. 

I  was  sorry  to  find  several  of  my  Innuit  friends  at  this  place 
very  sick  from  the  complaint  that  was  introduced  to  their  race 
when  first  brought  into  contact  with  civilization,  viz.,  consump- 
tion. Sharkey's  wife  was  rapidly  declining.  Ilcr  bleeding  at  the 
lungs  had  left  her  white  as  the  driven  snow,  and  poor  as  flcshless 
bones  could  be. 

I  will  here  relate  an  anecdote,  ^v'hicb  will  serve  to  show  how- 
fond  some  of  the  Innuits  are  of  sweets,  as  well  as  of  fat  or  blubber. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  carrying  along  over  the  rocks  a  jug  of"  las-as- 
scs,"  as  the  Innuits  pronounce  violaSses.  All  at  once  the  bottom 
of  the  jug  dropped  out,  and  the  contents  splashed  down,  his  hand 
flying  up  as  if  an  electric  shock  from  a  strongly-charged  battery 
had  been  given  him.  Quick  as  it  was  noised  about,  the  spot 
sweetened  over  with  the  "  lasasscs"  was  not  uiilike  a  sugar  hogs- 
head near  a  boe-hive  on  a  warm  sunny  day.  The  Innuits,  men, 
women,  and  children,  crowded  round  it  to  lick  up  the  sweet  mix- 
ture ! 

After  arranging  all  matters  that  Captain  B had  asked  my 

attention  to,  and  enjoying  a  good  rest  in  one  of  the  ofUcers'  tents, 
we  started  on  our  way  back  to  the  ship,  taking  with  us  several 
saddles  of  venison,  half  a  dozen  brace  of  ducks,  and  other  good 
things  for  those  on  board. 

When  about  half  way  through  Bear  Sound,  the  commotion  and 
roar  of  the  waters  were  such  as  no  person  who  has  not  witnessed 


836 


ARCTIC  IIESEARCII  EXPEDITION. 


the  like  coukl  form  an  adequate  idea  of.  Small  icebergs  were 
swept  along,  roundabout,  this  way  and  that  way,  at  a  speed  of  full 
eight  knots  an  hour.  On  one  side  piles  of  ice  were  carried  swift- 
ly to  the  south,  and  on  the  other  side  ice  was  sweeping  in  the  con- 
trary direction.  The  turmoil  and  confusion  seemed  almost  de- 
moniac. At  length  the  surging  ceased  for  a  while,  and  then  it 
began  again,  every  thing  to  appearance  being  in  readiness  for  a 
race  up  toward  Lupton  Channel.  And  so  it  continued,  obliging 
us  to  ply  the  long  steering-oar  l^riskly  to  keep  the  boat  in  its 
course,  as  we  were  borne  along  with  the  rapid  tide. 

When  we  got  out  of  the  channel  a  fresh  breeze  helped  us  on- 
ward until  we  came  near  "French  Ilead,"  when  it  failed.     Here 


FKKNCII    IIKAI). 


all  the  ice  had  disappeared  and  gone  down  the  bay,  thus,  at  last, 
carrying  to  the  great  sea  the  mortal  remains  of  poor  John  Brown, 
there  soon  depositing  them  to  rest  quietly  beneath  the  waters  that 
link  together  peoiile  of  all  nations  of  the  earth.  He  now  lies 
buried  in  the  world's  great  grave-yard.  Nature,  however,  marks 
the  spot  where  he  must  have  fought  valiantly  the  last  battle  of 


PERILOUS  PASSAGE  ON  THE  ICE.  337 

life.  The  bluff  stands  out  boldly  to  view  whenever  any  one  may 
be  navigating  in  or  near  Field  Bay.  '■'■French  Ilead''^  is  a  monu- 
ment as  enduring  as  the  everlasting  mountains. 

At  4  P.M.  we  reached  the  ice-floe,  and  there  re-lashed  the  boat 
upon  a  sledge  sent  forward  ready  for  our  arrival.  The  ice  was 
very  much  worse  than  it  had  been  the  previous  morning,  and  we 
tell  through  it  in  many  places.  Finally  we  reached  the  ship  at  8 
P.M.,  greatly  fatigued  with  the  laborious  exertions  we  had  made. 

At  this  time  the  heat  was  almost  overpowering.  On  the  25th 
of  July,  at  2  P.M.,  the  mercury  stood  at  95°  in  tlie  sun,  and  no 
work  could  be  done  except  when  we  were  clad  in  the  lightest  gar- 
ments. What  a  contrast  to  the  period  only  a  few  weeks  past, 
when  my  reindeer  furs  were  needed. 

The  day  after  m^-  return  to  the  ship  I  visited  the  tuples  on 
shore,  and  took  sundry  articles  of  my  apparel  for  Tookoolito  and 
the  other  women  to  put  in  order  for  me,  as  they  generally  did. 
On  the  way  I  had  far  more  difficulty  than  I  anticipated.  Two  of 
the  sailors  had  brought  me  in  a  boat  as  for  as  the  broken  ice 
would  permit,  and  then  I  proceeded  toward  the  shore  by  moving 
from  one  piece  of  ice  to  another.  But  it  soon  became  evident 
that  there  was  much  dangerous  work  ahead.  The  ice  around  the 
shores  and  about  the  harbor  and  bay  was  now  disappearing  like 
dew  before  the  morning  sun.  I  was  Indeed  surprised  to  find  the 
changes  that  had  taken  place  within  one  day.  Several  wide 
chasms  between  boulders  of  shore-ice  had  to  be  crossed,  and  my 
leaps  were  often  made  with  more  or  less  danger  of  getting  a  down- 
full  into  the  briny  deep.  Now  and  then  I  was  obliged  to  throw 
my  pack  in  advance,  and  then  go  back  for  a  good  run,  so  as  to 
make  my  flying  leap  sure  to  carry  me  over  the  yawning  gulf. 
For  a  full  hour  did  I  work  thus  to  accomplish  a  distance  of  per- 
haps twenty  rods.  Now  I  would  be  upon  a  small  piece  of  ice. 
pushing  along  as  though  it  were  a  boat.  Soon  as  I  reached  an- 
other piece  I  would  have  to  run  on  to  it ;  thence  to  another,  leap- 
ing cracks  and  channels  that  would  certainly  have  made  my  hair 
stand  on  end  at  an  earlier  period  of  my  life.  At  length  I  reacheil 
the  last  piece  between  myself  and  the  shore.  It  was  divided  from 
the  beach  by  a  breach  of  some  considerable  distance ;  but  ther(> 
was  no  alternative ;  leap  it  I  must.  Therefore  I  first  threw  my 
pack  ashore,  which  went  into  a  pool  of  water  on  the  rocks,  and 
then,  with  a  good  run,  made  a  great  spring,  which  fortunately  just 
carried  me  on  to  terra  firma. 

Y  4 


338  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Many  of  these  occurrences  are  common  enough  in  the  life  of  an 
arctic  voyager ;  but  I  mention  this  one  as  a  passing  incident,  and 
to  show  what  was  the  state  of  the  ice  around  our  ship  at  the  time 
we  were  all  so  desirous  of  moving  her. 

In  the  evening  I  got  on  board  again  without  much  difficulty,  as 
a  boat  came  for  me  to  fir)n  ice,  which  I  had  gained. 

The  following  morning,  July  27th,  all  the  ice  about  the  vessel 
had  nearly  gone,  though  there  were  still  some  heavy  pieces  inter- 
vening between  us  and  the  outer  bay.  But  what  especially 
causes  me  to  remember  this  day  was  the  sudden  disappearance  of 
the  wrecked  Rescue.  On  looking  toward  Cooper's  Island,  where 
her  hull  had  remained  for  so  many  months,  we  were  surprised  to 
find  it  gone.  The  waters  had  floated  it  away;  and,  for  a  moment, 
we  fancied  nothing  more  of  the  famous  schooner  would  again  be 
seen,  unless  away  toward  or  on  the  great  sea.  But  shortly  after- 
ward, on  visiting  Whale  Island,  close  by,  we  saw  that  the  Rescue 
had  drifted  off  with  the  tide,  and  had  got  in  to  the  narrow  chan- 
nel of  open  water  that  then  surrounded  the  island.  "The  Res- 
cue^''  saj's  my  journal,  "  seems  yet  to  live  ;  she  has  navigated  her- 
self completely  around  Cooper's  Island  since  early  this  morning. 
She  sweeps  around  slowly  and — I  was  about  to  say — prettily." 

The  Rescue  was  doomed  to  wander  about  "like  a  ghost" — as 
some  of  the  men  said — for  days.  By  the  alternate  ebb  and  flow 
of  the  tide,  she  was  carried  seaward,  to  be  brought  back  to  her 
old  place,  thei:  co  be  carried  out  again.  Then  back  again  she 
came,  dancing  from  place  to  place,  like  the  ever-changing  ice 
sconces  surrounding  her.  She  made  the  circuit  of  another  island 
southeast  of  Cooper's,  and  again  came  near  to  us ;  and  so  in  and 
out,  dancing  here  and  moving  there,  the  poor  Rescue  played  about 
us,  until  at  length  her  very  presence  seemed  to  cause  a  sujicrsti- 
tions  dread.  This  was  especially  so  when  another  day,  and  yet 
another,  passed  on,  and  still  our  vessel  could  not  be  moved  away. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  superstitious  feeling  among  4he  sea- 
men, it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  want  of  success  attending  the 
George  //ewr^  in  whaling  was  attributed  to  the  circumstance  of 
bringing  the  Rescue  with  them  as  a  tender.  Some  said  she  had 
never  been  any  thing  but  a  drawback  since  first  built,  and  that 
she  had  nearly  caused  the  loss  of  numbers  of  lives ;  now  she 
seemed  to  hang  about  them  as  an  omen  of  ill  luck — as  a  ghost/ 

At  8  P.M.  of  the  27th  of  July  the  breeze  freshened  up  strongly 
from  W.  and  W.N.W.    Soon  the  ice  yet  in  the  vicinity  of  the 


THE  "GEORGE  HENRY"  IN  DANGER.— THE  GHOST. 


339 


vessel  began  to  move,  and  in  heavy  patches  came  toward  the  ship. 
All  the  crew  had  retired  to  rest  except  the  captain  and  myself, 
but  the  men  were  quickly  called  up  to  ward  off  the  threatened 
danger.  On  came  the  ice,  directly  toward  the  ship.  A  portion 
struck  the  cable,  and  strained  it  till  the  metal  tinkled  like  steel. 
Fortunately,  a  projecting  point  of  Cooper's  Island  partly  arrested 
the  entire  floe  of  ice,  and  thus  broke  the  shock ;  yet  the  strain 
upon  the  ship's  cable  was  intense.  Men  were  ordered  to  get  over 
the  bow  on  to  the  floe  with  chisels  and  other  implements,  to  cut 
away  that  portion  pressing  upon  the  chains,  which  was  done  aft- 
er some  hard  work.  But  we  fully  believed  the  ship  was  drag- 
ging her  anchor,  and  at  this  precise  moment,  lo !  the  immortal 
Rescue  was  seen,  like  the  ghost  in  Hamlet,  emerging  from  the 
mist,  and  moving  on  from  near  Cooper's  Island  straight  to  the 
very  spot  where  she  had  been  at  anchor  when  overtaken  by  the 
hurricane  which  had  wrecked  her.  The  instant  she  was  discov- 
ered, an  exclamation  burst  from  the  crew  that  the  very  acme  of 
bad  luck  seemed  to  have  reached  them !     They  never  could  do 


TUB  GII08T. 


any  thing  until  that  curse  was  out  of  sight !     Indeed,  some  of  the 
expressions  used  about  her  were  much  stronger,  and  certainly,  to 


340  AUCTIC  RESEARCH  EXrEDITION. 

Others  less  interested  in  the  Rescue  than  myself,  her  appearance  so 
often,  and  apparently  in  such  mystic  form,  was  enough  to  cause 
annoyance,  if  not  actual  superstitious  dread. 

All  through  that  night  great  vigilance  was  needed  in  guarding 
the  vessel,  for  the  ice  pressed  tremendously  upon  her,  and  in  the 
morning  men  were  again  at  work  cutting  the  floe.  Finally  they 
succeeded  in  separating  a  part  that  strained  most  upon  the  cable, 
and  thus  we  escaped  the  greatest  danger. 

On  July  28th,  in  the  morning,  I  went  over  to  Whale  Island  and 
brought  Tookoolito  on  board,  to  continue  the  work  begun  some 
time  previous  of  getting  up  a  vocabulary  of  the  Innuit  of  these 
regions  for  collation  with  Parry's,  compiled  on  his  second  voyage 
up  Hudson's  Straits.  Tookoolito  was  very  serviceable  in  this. 
She  gave  me  valuable  explanations  of  words,  and  also  expedi- 
tiously interpreted  into  her  own  tongue  portions  of  the ."  Progress- 
ive Reader"  which  I  had  previously  presented  to  her. 

In  reference  to  this  really  important  matter,  the  following  ex- 
tract from  my  journal  at  the  time  may  be  here  brought  forward. 
I  said : 

"Oh  that  such  a  noble  Christianizing  work  was  begun  here  as 
is  now  established  in  Greenland!  What  a  valuable  aid  for  it 
could  be  (bund  in  Tookoolito!  Will  not  some  society,  some  peo- 
ple of  civilization,  sec  to  this  matter  ere  this  noble  race  pass 
away?  *  *  *  It  seems  to  me  that  the  days  of  the  Innuits 
are  numbered.  There  are  very  few  of  them  now.  Fifty  years 
may  find  them  all  passed  away,  without  leaving  one  to  tell  that 
such  a  people  ever  lived." 

At  this  time  the  men  that  had  remained  at  the  whaling  depot 
were  summoned  on  board  the  ship,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  28th 
it  was  reported  that  some  of  them  were  coming.  I  went  on  deck, 
and  asked  one  of  the  sailors,  whoni  we  called  "  Spikes,"  who  was 
then  on  watch,  where  they  were.  He  replied.  He  didn't  exactly 
know,  but  thought  they  might  be  that  way — pointing  to  an  island 
southeast  of  us — for  he  heard  voices  in  that  direction.  I  listened, 
and  then  gave  a  shout.  But  my  first  idea  was  that  Spikes  had 
been  mistaken,  as  the  echoes  of  Innuit  voices  on  Whale  Island 
were  often  heard.  Soon,  however,  I  was  satisfied.  An  answer- 
ing shout  from  white  men  came  back  to  mine.  A  boat,  therefore, 
was  soon  manned  by  Smith,  myself,  Spikes,  Bill,  and  young  Smith, 
and  away  we  went  in  the  direction  whence  the  sound  had  come. 

We  made  a  quick  passage  down  the  harbor  as  far  as  open  wa- 


ALL  HANDS  ABOARD.  841 

tcr  permitted;  then  we  struek  into  broken  ice,  where  our  prog- 
ress became  slower.  But,  by  the  good  steering  of  tlie  ekler  Smith, 
we  still  pushed  on,  oftener  using  the  ice  for  our  oars  to  rest  against 
than  water.  Wc  passed  the  "Ghost,"  which  was  now  floating 
with  the  tide ;  and  her  bow — or  so  much  of  it  as  was  above  wa- 
ter— became  a  resisting  medium  on  which  the  starboard  oars  of 
our  boat  found  hold  in  several  heavy  pulls. 

Presently  we  came  to  a  desolate  island,  and  on  it  we  found 
Morgan,  Bailey,  Keeney,  and  Ebierbing,  who  had  come  from  a 
point  some  three  miles  below,  and  made  their  way  there  by  trudg- 
ing over  ice,  ferrying  across  spaces  of  water  on  drifting  ice,  wad- 
ing, etc.  This  party  was  but  a  small  portion  of  the  one  that  left 
tlie  whaling  depot  in  the  morning  for  the  ship.  The  remainder 
had  stopped  for  the  night  at  a  point  below,  where,  owing  to  the 
ice,  the  boats  they  had  with  them  could  not  be  taken  farther. 
Morgan  and  his  company,  however,  felt  determined  to  try  and 
reach  the  vessel  that  night,  but  had  run  great  risks  in  so  doing. 
The  ice  between  the  islands  below  was  all  in  a  disruptured  state, 
and  only  by  great  daring  did  they  succeed  in  getting  to  the  place 
where  we  found  them.  In  making  across  several  channels  their 
only  way  was  to  find  a  fragment  of  floating  ice,  place  themselves 
upon  it,  and  paddle  over  by  a  small  piece  of  board  which  they 
found.  We  succeeded  in  getting  this  party  to  the  vessel ;  and, 
finally.  Mates  Rogers,  Gardiner,  and  Lamb,  each  with  his  boat  and 
crew,  also  arrived,  though  not  without  great  difiiculty  on  account 
of  the  ice  which  they  encountered  on  their  way.  And  thus  the 
whole  ship's  company  were  safe  on  board. 

The  information  given  me  by  Mr.  Rogers  I  found  very  inter- 
esting.   It  was  as  follows : 

On  the  day  I  left  the  whaling  depot,  Rogers — who,  with  an 
Innuit  crew,  had  gone  up  Frobishcr  Baj- — arrived  at  the  native 
settlement  beyond  Evictoon.  Here  they  found  Sampson,  Ook- 
goo-al-loo,  their  families,  and  the  old  lady  Innuits,  whom  I  met 
the  previous  April,  as  mentioned  page  2G6.  For  some  time  Rog- 
ers did  not  recognize  Sampson,  though  well  acquainted  with  him, 
for  he  was  completely  changed  in  appearance,  and  not  much  more 
than  a  mere  skeleton.  lie  was  informed  that,  some  weeks  before, 
a  little  pimple  made  its  appearance  near  Sampson's  left  breast. 
It  received  a  scratch.  Inflammation  followed,  and  this  ha^n- 
creased  so  much  that  his  very  vitals  were  being  eaten  out.  The 
sight  was  horrible !     No  Innuit  of  Rogers's  crew  dared  behold  it. 


342  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION, 

Nothing  was  done,  or  could  then  be  done,  to  alleviate  Sampson's 
distress  or  arrest  the  progress  of  his  disease,  which  was  evidently, 
as  Rogers  thought,  a  cancer.  It  was  neglected,  and  the  dirt,  tuk- 
too  hair,  etc.,  that  were  allowed  to  accumulate, within  it,  irritated 
the  sore  and  hastened  its  progress, 

Ookgooalloo  was  also  confined  to  his  tupic,  unable  to  sit  up, 
and  spitting  blood.  And  the  other  Innuits  seemed  to  be  all  starv- 
ing, only  one  man  being  in  a  condition  to  go  out  and  hunt  for 
food.  On  the  following  mcrning  Rogers  started  for  an  island  a 
little  farther  up,  and  arrived  there  at  11  A.M.  While  there  he 
visited  a  place  in  which,  he  was  informed  by  the  natives,  a  good 
harbor  could  be  found;  and  he  saw  that  such  was  the  case  for 
small  vessels,  but  not  for  the  Qeorge  Ilenrij,  as  only  eight  feet  wa- 
ter, and  this  over  black  sandy  bottom,  could  be  found.  He  re- 
mained an  hour  there,  and  then  struck  a  course  direct  down  the 
bay  for  the  whaling  ddpot.  The  wind,  however,  came  against 
him  with  so  great  force  that  he  was  obliged  to  make  for  Samp- 
son's settlement,  and  remain  there  for  that  night.  Next  morning 
he  again  set  out,  and  on  the  way  his  Innuit  crew  killed  many 
ducks,  which  they  ate  raw.  Rogers  was  offered  some,  but  he 
said  to  me,  "  I  could  not  go  //(«/."  lie  arrived  at  the  whaling 
depot,  at  Cape  True,  about  11  P.M.  on  the  26th.  and  finally  re- 
turned to  the  ship  as  already  stated. 

The  return  of  the  Georrje  Homjs  crew  on  board,  and  the  break- 
ing up  of  the  ice,  were  the  signal  for  the  ship's  departure  to  anoth- 
er place,  to  try  anew  the  chances  of  whaling ;  but  with  all  relating 
to  such  work,  except  where  it  is  connected  with  my  own  personal 
labors,  I  have  nothing  to  do.  My  task  was  that  of  research,  ex- 
ploration, and  discovery,  and  not  to  aid  in  the  capture  of  whales, 
albeit  that,  in  itself,  was  an  exciting  and  adventurous  occupation. 
I  had  come  to  the  North  for  another  and,  to  me,  a  more  glorious 
purpose.  When,  therefore,  the  time  approached  for  the  vessel  to 
move  away,  the  hour  had  also  come  for  me  to  leave  her  and  take 
up  my  abode  with  the  natives,  as  I  had  originally  proposed. 
What  my  plans  and  intentions  were,  as  noted  and  recorded  at  the 
time,  I  will  now  proceed  to  show. 

It  was  now  the  28th  of  July,  1861.  In  two  or  three  days  the 
vessel  was  to  leave  Rescue  Harbor  to  cruise  for  whales.  I  intend- 
edjftierefore,  to  make  a  boat  voyage  to  explore  the  so-called  "  Fro- 
bisher  Strait,"  which  had  been  proved  to  me,  by  Innuit  testimony 

*  See  page  12C,  and  the  Sketch  Chart,  page  125. 


•X- 
) 


AUTHOR  LEAVES  THE  SHIP  TO  EXPLORE.       343 

in  the  fall  of  1860,  while  in  Rescue  Harbor,  to  be  a  bay.  The 
course  I  purposed  to  pursue  was  down  and  across  Field  Bay  to 
Lupton  Channel  and  Bear  Sound,  and  thence  along  the  northern 
coast  of  the  misnamed  "  strait"  to  its  termination,  and  thence,  if 
possible,  down  Kingaite  {Meta  Incognita)  side ;  then  crossing  over 
to  "  North  Foreland,"  and  returning  to  Field  Bay  by  way  of  the 
south  side  of  the  "  dreaded  land,"  and  thence  through  Bear  Sound 
and  Lupton  Channel.  The  boat  which  I  now  had  was  not  as 
good  by  any  means  as  I  should  haVe  wished,  but  I  was  obliged  to 
make  it  answer.  My  crew  were  to  be  all  Innuits.  I  had  ar- 
ranged for  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito,  Koodloo  and  Jennie  his 
wife,  and  f)robably  Jennie,  sister  of  Ebierbing,  to  be  of  the  party, 
with  Suzhi  also,  who  was  likely  to  be  exceedingly  useful,  in  con- 
sequence of  her  great  strength,  notwithstanding  her  weight,  which 
was  not  less  than  200  pounds.  I  expected  to  be  gone  two  months, 
at  the  end  of  which  time,  if  the  vessel  should  still  be  hereabouts, 
I  would  again  rc\join  her  to  return  to  the  States.  I  earnestly 
hoped  to  succeed  in  accomplishing  all  this.  God  willing,  I  was 
resolved  it  should  be  done. 

The  vessel  was  expected  to  sail  on  the  30th.  I  therefore  gath- 
ered up  some  of  the  things  I  designed  taking  with  me  on  my  boat 
voyage,  and  carried  them  on  shore  to  Ebierbing's  tuple. 

On  Tuesday,  the  30th,  A.M.,  preparations  were  made  to  weigh 
anchor.  The  time  had  come  for  me  to  leave.  I  placed  such 
other  things  as  I  required  ia  the  old,  rotten,  leaky,  and  ice-beaten 
whale-boat  with  which  I  was  to  make  my  voyage  to  the  head  of 
Frobisher  Bay.  I  also  compared  my  chronometer  with  the  George 
Henry's ;  my  two  assistants,  Jennie  and  little  Ookoodlear,  were  in 
the  boat  to  pull  me  on  shore,  and  now  nothing  remained  but  to 
take  leave  of  captain,  officers,  and  crew. 

It  was  done.  The  farewell  was  uttered.  The  George  Henry 
was  under  sail,  and  I  set  out  on  my  way  to  Whale  Island,  to  com- 
mence life  in  earnest  among  the  Esquimaux.  I  took  up  my 
abode  in  the  tupic  of  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito,  other  natives, 
relatives  of  theirs,  being  with  us  and  near  by. 

As  I  walked  about — the  only  white  man  among  them — my  po- 
sition seemed,  and  in  reality  was,  strange.  At  last  alone ;  the 
ship  gone ;  all  of  my  own  people,  my  own  blood,  my  own  lan- 
guage, departed ;  and  now,  by  myself,  to  do  whatever  work  I 
could.  Well,  this  was  what  I  designed.  I  would  not  despond. 
It  was  good.    Freedom  dwells  in  the  North — freedom  to  live  as 


844  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

one  pleases,  act  as  one  pleases,  and  go  where  and  when  one 
pleases  ;  so  I  determined  to  look  brightly  forward,  placing  all  my 
dependence  on  God. 

I  watched  the  ship's  progress.  She  got  along  but  slowly. 
There  was  a  light  wind  i'rom  the  southeast  against  her.  It  was 
tack,  tack,  all  the  day  long.  Every  now  and  then  I  ascended  a 
hill  on  the  island  to  look  at  her.  It  was  past  meridian  before  she 
got  down  as  low  as  Parker's  Bay.*  By  evening  she  had  reached 
French  Ilead,  but  late  in  the  P.M.  had  drifted  back,  evidently 
with  the  tide,  to  Parker's  Bay.  White  clouds  now  capped  the 
high  land  about  there,  which  was  the  precursor  of  a  storm. 

During  the  day,  Sharkey,  E-e-u-ar-ping  (the  latter  the  youngest 
son  of  Artark2)aru),  and  u  boat's  crew  of  those  Innuits  remaining 
at  Eescue  Ilarbor,  started  off'  to  French  Head.  Koodloo  also,  in 
my  boat,  with  Suzhi  and  Ookoodlear,  with  the  children,  went 
among  the  islands  ducking,  but  obtained  only  two  ducks.  Wish- 
ing to  manufacture  some  balls  of  the  lead  which  I  had  with  me  for 
my  rifle  and  Koodloo's  gun,  the  thought  came  into  my  head  that 
the  hull  of  the  liescuehad  still  some  hard  coal  in  her,  and  that,  by 
taking  advantage  of  the  low  tide,  I  could  obtain  it;  therefore  I 
and  Koodloo,  with  Suzhi,  went  in  the  boat  to  the  "ghost."  The 
tide  was  still  ebbing  when  we  got  alongside,  but,  on  examination, 
it  was  found  that  the  water  inside  of  her  was  too  deep  to  fish  for 
coal.  AVe  therefore  started  elsewhere  to  fish  for  something  else, 
or  try  for  seal.  Wc  drew  up  to  the  point  of  an  island  to  gratify 
the  Innuits  in  killing  some  little  birds  about  the  size  of  our  rob- 
ins at  home,  but  here  called  by  the  natives  sik-yar-iing.  They 
were  too  small  game  for  the  expense  of  powder,  therefore  Kood- 
loo tried  to  kill  them  by  throwing  stones,  but  failed,  though  they 
were  by  no  means  shy.  We  then  rowed  off  to  look  for  seals. 
Presently  we  saw  one.  My  rifle  was  instantly  raised,  but  just  as 
I  pulled  the  trigger  a  little  boy  in  the  boat  lifted  himself  up  and 
unsettled  my  aim.  The  seal  went  off,  much  to  our  vexation,  as 
wc  had  nothing  on  shore  to  cat  except  the  two  ducks.  We  again 
saw  the  seal, but  were  unable  to  kill  it;  therefore  wc  returned  to 
the  "ghost,"  and  this  time  were  able  to  enter  her  hull.  After 
some  trouble  I  succeeded  in  procuring  about  two  and  a  half  buck- 
ets of  hard  coal,  and  having  had  an  old  stove  placed  in  my  boat 
when  I  left  the  ship  to  leave  on  Whale  Island,  the  present  acqui- 
sition made  it  very  serviceable. 

*  Named  after  Captain  John  Parker,  of  Hull,  England.  Parker's  Bay  makes 
westward  from  Field  Bay,  and  is  in  Int.  G2°  48'  N.,  and  long.  C4°  .'».''>'  W. 


KHIKIIBINO  SICK.— THE  FKMALK  ANGKKO.  84u 

111  tlio  evening  Sharkey  anil  ten  more  Innuits  returned  with- 
out any  success  in  procuring  food.  Thus  we  had  a  huge  com- 
pany now  here,  and  nothing  to  eat  except  the  two  ducks.  True, 
I  had  a  barrel  of  sea-bread,  about  twenty  pounds  of  salt  pork,  a 
ninety-pound  can  of  pommican,  ten  i)()unds  of  coifee,  two  gallons 
ol'  molasses,  one  pound  of  tea,  and  half  a  pound  of  pepper,  all  of 
which,  excepting  the  penunieaii,  I  procured  at  the  ship  by  ex- 
change. But  this  stock  was  for  my  Frobisher  Bay  expedition, 
not  for*  consumption  liere.  Unfortunately,  my  right-hand  man 
Kbierbing  was  now  very  sick,  but  I  was  in  hopes  1  should  bring 
him  round  again  in  two  or  three  days.  I  had  taken  from  the  ves- 
sel my  case  of  medicines,  and  with  these  I  hoped  to  do  him  some 
good.  I  took  one  more  look  at  the  ship.  There  she  was,  still  en- 
deavoring to  get  out  of  the  bay,  but  with  no  wind  to  help  her.  I 
thought  she  would,  perhaps,  be  out  of  sight  before  the  morning. 
Farewell,  then,  I  said  in  my  heart,  gallant  ship,  and  may  good  luck 
attend  you.  Good-night  to  all.  I  then  retired  to  my  Innuit  bed, 
among  my  honest,  kind-hearted  Innuit  friends. 

On  "Wednesday,  July  31st,  hardly  awake,  and  still  on  my  sleep- 
ing-couch, I  heard  an  exclamation  of  surprise  from  Tookoolito, 
who  had  gone  outside  the  tupic.  The  wind  was  blowing  a  gale, 
with  rain.  Tookoolito's  cry  was,  "Ship  coming  back!"  Up  I 
'^ot,  and,  on  rushing  to  the  skin  doorwa}',  true  enough,  there  was 
the  George  Henrij  nearly  np  the  bay.  1  watched  her.  She  ad- 
vanced still  higher  up,  and  presently  dropped  anchor  northwest 
of  us,  some  two  or  three  miles  off.  The  return  of  the  Georcje  lien- 
rif  was  wi.se,  for  the  gale  had  become  furious,  and,  had  she  contin- 
ued on,  it  might  have  driven  her  on  shore  lower  down  the  bay. 
Once  more,  then,  the  ship  and  her  company  were  near  me.  Lit- 
tle had  I  expected  this  when  looking  at  lier  the  evening  before. 

I  may  here  as  well  relate  something  very  curious,  which  I  have 
recorded  under  this  date  as  having  occurred  during  the  previous 
night.  Ebierbing  was  very  ill,  and  both  his  wife  and  his  aunt 
were  alarmed.  The  latter  went  out  at  midnight,  and  brought  in 
Jennie,  wife  of  Koodloo,  who  is  a  female  angeko,  to  practise  on 
tlie  sufferer.  She  took  her  position  at  once,  sitting,  Innuit  fash- 
ion, in  a  corner  of  the  tupic,  facing  from  us,  and  proceeded  with 
her  incantations,  while  deep  seriousness  fell  on  all  around.  As 
she  w^cnt  on,ejaculatory  expressions  of  approbation  were  occasion- 
ally uttered  by  the  persons  present,  as  also  by  the  patient.  Pres- 
ently Ebierbing  became  more  calm,  his  pains  scented  to  decrease. 


346  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

and  finally  he  fell  asleep,  and  actually  slept  well !  This  is  strange, 
most  " passing  strange ;"  yet  it  is  a  fact  ihat  the  ankooting  does 
seemingly  benefit  the  patient,  acting  as  a  charm.  The  mind  be- 
ing diverted  from  all  thought  of  the  clay  house  to  something 
above  which  the  soul  aspires  to  reach,  makes  one  forgetful  that 
there  is  any  thing  like  pain  in  his  or  her  system. 

This  people,  knowing  that  J  did  not  make  fun  of  them  or  taunt 
them  for  believing  as  they  do,  had  confidence  in  me,  therefore  1 
was  a  privileged  one  in  their  midst  when  ankooting  was  going 
on.  It  is  against  their  customs  to  have  any  but  the  family  pres- 
ent, but  hitherto  I  have  always  had  access  to  their  meetings. 

Let  Christians  plant  a  colony  among  the  western  Innuits,  as  has 
been  done  in  Greenland,  and  in  lime  this  people  will  become  con- 
verts to  Christianity,  for  that  is  the  only  true  religion ;  and  the 
truth,  when  properly  presented  to  honest  minds,  will  be  received 
with  open  hearts. 

Jeniue  is  not  only  a  good  angcko  professionally,  but  also  of 
pleasing  features,  and  would  pass  for  handsome  with  many  judges 
of  beauty. 

On  the  1st  of  August  the  weather  still  continued  .bad,  with  rain 
and  mist,  I  was  obliged  to  open  my  case  of  pemmican,  and  in 
doing  so,  found  under  the  top  a  card,  incased  in  tin,  reading  thus : 
"  George  Schlee,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Farewell !"  Though  I  am  un- 
acquainted with  the  person  whom  this  name  represents,  yet  this 
told  me  that  some  one  in  the  employ  of  11.  W.  Stephenson,  of 
Cincinnati — the  maker  and  sealer  up  of  my  pemmican  cans — had 
kind  thoughts  and  good  wishes  for  me,  though  a  stranger  to  him. 
"Fareweir'  is  a  word  of  rich  import  from  well-known  friends, 
but  from  a  stranger,  whose  soul  may  be  beating  in  unison  for  the 
same  noble  cause  to  which  one  devotes  his  life,  the  word  becomes 
almost  sacred  to  the  life  and  heart  of  the  adventurer. 

The  next  day  Ebierbing  still  continued  very  sick.  Several  of 
the  natives  took  a  boat  and  went  up  to  the  ship ;  and  I  heard 
that  she  was  to  remain  in  the  bay,  seeking  a  secure  harbor  higher 
up.  Later  in  the  day  I  saw  her  under  sail,  but  the  fog  soon  closed 
her  from  my  view. 

An  extract  from  my  journal  of  this  date  (Friday,  August  2) 
runs  thus : 

"  This  morning  for  breakfast  cold  rock  pemmican.  It  goes 
better  this  way  than  when  made  into  soup.  The  two  families  al- 
ready mentioned  as  members  of  the  expedition  trip  I  purpose  to 


PEMMICAN.— VISIT  THE  SHIP.  347 

make  seemed  to  like  it.  A  very  little  of  this  solid,  ricli  food  sat- 
isfies one's  appetite.  This  article  is  eaten,  not  because  it  tastes 
good,  for  it  does  not,  hut  to  live.  It  is  almost  like  eating  tallow 
candles.  One  must  have  a  sharp  appetite  to  eat  pemmican  in  the 
usual  way  it  is  prepared.  In  the  manufacture  of  mine  I  used  the 
best  of  beef  and  beef  suet  in  the  place  of  what  is  generally  used, 
to  wit,  beef  and  hog's  fat.  The  composition  consists  of  an  equal 
weight  of  beef  (dried  and  granulated)  and  beef  suet,  which  are  in- 
corporated while  the  latter  is  hot,  and  then  put  up  in  tin  cans  and 
hermetically  sealed.  Thus  made  and  put  up,  it  will  keep  good  for 
years.  One  pound  of  my  pemmican  is  equivalent  to  two  and  a 
lialf  pounds  of  fresh  beef-steak.  Four  pounds  of  fresh  beef,  on  be- 
ing dried,  is  reduced  to  a  pound." 

At  2  30  P.M.  I  went  up  to  make  my  call  on  Captain  B in 

his  new  harbor,  two  and  one  half  miles  off,  taking  with  me  Kood- 
loo  and  other  Innuits  as  my  boat's  crew.  We  soon  arrived,  and 
after  the  first  greeting  between  us,  I  mentioned  my  desire  to  take 
Koojesse  with  me  instead  of  Ebierbing,  who  was  too  sick  to  go  on 
my  Frobisher  Bay  trip.  The  arrangement  was  made,  so  far  as 
concerned  Captain  B (he  having  pre-engaged  Koojesse's  serv- 
ices), and,  after  a  short  stay  on  board,  I  departed. 

There  was  some  difficulty  in  getting  back  to  my  Innuit  home, 
owing  to  both  wind  and  tide  being  against  me,  and,  when  the  isl- 
and was  reached,  my  boat  could  not  be  hauled  up  on  account  of 
low  water.  I  was  therefore  obliged  to  keep  on  the  watch  nearly 
all  night,  to  guard  against  the  danger  of  losing  her. 

The  night  was  a  stormy  one ;  the  rain,  at  times,  descending  in 
torrents,  and  the  wind  blowing  furiously.  Every  now  and  then 
I  enveloped  myself  in  an  oil-cloth  suit,  and  went  down  to  watch 
the  condition  of  the  boat.  The  tide  would  soon  be  up  so  far  as 
to  enable  us  to  draw  her  on  the  beach ;  so,  thinking  that  all  was 
right,  I  laid  myself  down  to  rest. 

About  2  A.M.  of  the  3d,  however,  I  was  aroused  by  invalid 
Ebierbing,  who  said  that,  from  the  noise,  the  sea  was  beating  on 
shore.  Immediately  I  went  down  to  the  boat,  and,  finding  it  fti  a 
precarious  condition,  called  up  all  the  natives,  and  with  their  aid 
at  once  had  her  dragged  above  reach  of  the  sea.  This  done,  I 
again  retired  to  my  couch,  and  slept  soundly  till  the  musical  voice 
of  Angeko  Jennie  once  more  aroused  me.  Looking  round,  I  saw 
she  was  renewing  her  professional  practice  over  her  patient.  Too- 
koolito  and  Suzhi  were  seriously,  I  may  say  sokmnhj  engaged  in 


348  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

the  exercises,  enthusiastically  making  tlicir  responses  to  Jennie's 
ejaculations.  Tlic  efl'ect  upon  the  sufl'ering  patient,  Ebicrbing, 
was,  as  before,  quite  beneficial. 

On  Sunday,  the  4th  of  August,  while  in  the  tupic,  I  learned 
something  that  surprised  me.  On  the  previous  day  myself  and 
some  Innuits  had  gone  ducking  and  sealing  without  any  success. 
Now  I  was  told  that  our  ill  luck  was  on  account  of  our  working 
during  Ebicrbing's  sickness,  as  all  of  the  natives,  including  intelli- 
gent Tookoolito,  sincerely  believe.  They  consider  that  it  is  wrong 
to  work  when  one  of  their  number  is  sick,  and  especially  to  work 
on  sldns  that  arc  intended  to  hccp  out  luatcr ;  for  instance,  it  is 
wrong  to  work  making  kum-ings  (outside  or  water-proof  boots) 
and  covering  for  boats. 

The  way  I  happened  to  find  this  out  was  as  follows :  I  had  ar- 
ranged for  Koodloo  to  make  a  sealskin  covering  for  Ebicrbing's 
kia,  and  to  put  it  on.  This  morning,  as  nothing  else  could  be 
done  on  account  of  the  bad  weather,  I  asked  Tookoolito  if  Kood- 
loo could  not  proceed  with  it.  To  my  astonishment,  she  replied 
that  "  Innuits  could  not  do  such  work  at  the  present  time."  Iler 
answer  seemed  to  me  so  strange  that  I  made  farther  inquiries  of 
her,  when  she  told  me  that  "if  they  worked  on  the  skins  for  the 
kia,  Ebicrbing  would  never  get  well ;  he  would  die.  The  '■first 
Innuits'  adhered  to  this  custom,  and  they  must  too.  All  their  peo- 
ple believe  this,  and  could  not  help  it.  Many  Innuits  had  died 
because  of  the  working  on  skins  for  kias  and  kum-ings  while 
one  of  their  number  about  them  was  sick  at  the  time."  She  add- 
ed, "  The  reason  why  Koodloo  could  not  shoot  any  thing  yester- 
day, though  close  by  jomc  ducks,  was  because  wrong  was  done  in 
wprking  while  Ebicrbing  lay  sick." 

"  But,"'  said  I  to  Tookoolito,  as  I  was  eng;  ged  chafing  Ebicr- 
bing's side  and  back,  and  applying  liniment,  •'  what  are  you  do- 
ing now  but  working?" 

She  replied,  holding  up  her  hands  full  of  needles  that  were  fly- 
ing swiftly  in  knitting,  ''■This  is  not  loorh.'''' 

Her  answer  nearly  made  me  laugh  aloud ;  but  I  repressed  the 
feeling,  and  quietly  accepted  her  definition  of  what  was  or  was 
not  work.  I  was  also  told  that  during  Ebicrbing's  sickness  the 
angeko  must  do  no  work  on  any  account. 

We  were  now  living  on  pemmican  and  coffee.  I  dealt  out 
enough  bread  for  Ebicrbing,  as  he  was  sick,  but  there  was  no  sup- 
ply for  any  of  us  yet.     Sunday  night  was  a  stormy  one,  with  the 


LIFE  AMONG  INNUITS.  349 

wind  from  the  northeast  blowing  almost  a  gale.  Every  thing 
was  in  a  wet  state,  outside  and  in,  except  bedding  and  clothing. 
A  flood  of  water  occupied  half  of  the  tupic. 

It  would  astonish  most  people  at  home  to  see  how  comfortably 
I  lived  with  the  Innuits,  like  one  of  themselves.  While  I  jotted 
down  notes,  or  more  fully  wrote  out  notes  previously  made,  Suzhi 
chanted  some  Innuit  tune,  and  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito  enjoyed 
what  among  civilized  white  Colks  would  be  a  "  tea-table  chat." 
We  lived  also,  at  times,  on  pemmican  and  kelp,  a  sea-weed  gath- 
ered by  the  Innmts  when  the  tide  is  out.  These  people  are  not 
exclusivchj  flesh-caters,  for  in  the  summer-time  they  occasionally 
gather  and  eat  a  few  berries  and  leaves  of  stunted  wild  plants 
that  grow  sparsely  in  these  regions.  Both  summer  and  winter 
they  collect  kelp,  and  eat  it,  but  only  as  a  sort  of  luxury,  except 
in  case  of  great  scarcity  of  food,  and  then  they  fall  back  upon  this 
resource.  I  have  acquired  a  taste  for  this  sea-weed,  and  cat  it  as 
they  do,  raw  or  boiled,  in  which  latter  state  it  is  more  tender. 

The  stormy  weather  continued  some  days,  and  no  work  could 
be  done.  On  Tuesday,  August  6th,  the  wind  blew  a  gale,  with 
rain.     On  Wednesday  we  had  a  little  better  weather,  and  I  went 

over  to  the  ship  again  to  see  Captain  B .     I  hoped  to  set  out 

on  my  trip  up  Frobisher  Bay  within  a  day  or  two.  On  Wednes- 
day evening,  during  ebb  tide,  the  "ghost"  of  the  Rescue  drifted 
out  of  the  harbor  into  the  bay,  and  went  seaward.  I  thought  this 
was  probably  the  last  we  should  sec  of  her.  On  the  same  even- 
ing I  communicated  to  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito  my  intended 
immediate  departure,  and  informed  them  that  I  had  made  ar- 
rangements with  the  captain  for  their  removal  nearer  the  ship,  so 
that  Ebierbing  might  receive  some  better  attention.  They  were 
sorrowful  at  my  leaving,  but  hoped  to  see  me  again  before  many 
weeks. 

I  then  requested  Ebierbing  to  assist  me  in  persuading  Koodloo 
and  his  nuliana  "Jennie"  to  accompany  me,  which  would  just 
complete  my  npw  proposed  crew.  I  soon  found  that  both  Ebier- 
bing and  Tookoolito  were  very  loth  to  have  the  angeko  (Jennie) 
leave  while  Ebierbing  was  sick.  I  therefore  gave  her  up,  accept- 
ing Koodloo's  offer  to  go  without  her. 

On  Thursday  morning,  the  8th  of  August,  I  found  that  Ebier- 
bing had  slept  better  than  for  several  nights  past.  At  9  A.M., 
while  Koodloo  was  on  the  top  of  our  island  (Whale  Island),  he 
cried  down  to  Tookoolito,  v.'ho  was  making  our  morning  coffee 

7  O  O 


350  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

under  tLe  ice  oi  some  rocks,  that  a  boat  was  coming  from  the 
ship.  I  ran  up,  and  was  delighted  to  find  it  so,  for  I  knew  by 
this  that  the  proposals  I  had  made  to  the  Innuits  Koojesse  and 
Charley,  whom,  with  their  wives,  I  wanted  for  my  crew,  had  been 
accepted  ;  and  yet  I  was  pained,  as  I  thought  of  the  necessity  of 
leaving  behind  my  foithful  friends  Ebicrbiug  and  Tookoolito.  I 
hastened  back,  took  my  cup  of  coffee  and  dish  of  lump  pemmican, 
and  breakfasted. 

Well,  the  boat  arrived,  and  brought  me  a  note  from  Captain 

B .    I  told  Ebierbing  that  we  could  now  remove  him  and  his 

effects ;  tbat  Captain  B had  kindly  responded  to  my  request, 

and  sent  down  for  him,  and  that  so  good  an  opportunity  ought 
not  to  be  lost.  lie  was  w  "ing  to  do  as  I  advised,  but  Koodloo 
was  slow  to  move.  Meanwhile  almost  a  gale  had  sprung  up  in 
the  east,  rendering  it  inexpedient  to  venture  to  take  Ebierbing  to 
the  ship  in  his  weak  state.  As  it  was  necessary -to  visit  the  ship 
prior  to  my  final  departure  on  the  proposed  voyage,  I  left  Ebier- 
bing and  Tookoolito  with  the  assurance  that  I  would  call. again 
the  next  day,  and  that  they  would  be  removed  as  soon  as  Ebier- 
bing could  bear  it  and  the  weather  should  permit.  We  arrived 
on  board  just  at  noon.  Shortly  after,  Koojesse  and  Charley  came 
aboard  from  the  Innuit  village  near  the  ship,  when  I  soon  found 
that  they  were  fearful  I  wished  to  prolong  my  stay  at  the  head 
of  Frobisher  Bay  until  the  cold  weather,  and,  if  so,  they  were  not 
disposed  to  go.  I  therefore  explained  to  them  that  I  should  prob- 
ably return  in  about  a  month,  or,  at  farthest,  in  less  than  two 
months.  They  were  then  quite  satisfied,  and  agreed  to  accom- 
pany me.  My  journal  of  this  day,  August  8th,  1861,  concludes 
thus : 

"As  I  meet  Koojesse  and  Kooperneung  (Charley),  I  find  them 
in  capital  spirits.  At  tea  their  wives  Tu-nuk-der-licn  and  Ak- 
chuk-cr-zhun  are  aboard,  and  appear  in  good  new  dresses,  and 
hair  dressed  in  '  States  fashion.'  Converse  with  them  of  the  voy- 
age we  are  about  to  make  to  '  wcs-see-jwJce^  (far-off'  land).    I  am 

highly  elated,  my  crew  so  far  excellent.    Captain  B ,  with 

whom  I  have  counseled,  advises  me  to  take  Ebierbing's  aunt, 
Koo-ou-le-arng  (Suzhi),  making,  with  Koodloo,  a  crew  of  six — five 
at  the  oars  and  one  boat-steerer,  leaving  me  free  to  be  constantly 
on  the  look-out.  The  only  objection  to  Suzhi  is  that  she  is  very 
heavy,  weighing  not  less  than  200  pounds — the  very  heaviest  In- 
nuit of  the  country. 


PREPARATIONS  COMPLETE.  35I 

"All  arrangements  are  now  made  to  start  from  the  vessel  early 

to-morrow  morning.    Breakfast  is  ordered  by  Captain  B to 

be  in  readiness  at  5  A.M.  The  Innuits  arc  to  strike  their  tupics, 
and  have  them  in  the  boat,  and  be  alongside  at  that  hour.  The 
weather  is  now  good,  and  to-night  gives  every  indication  of  a  fair 
day  to-morrow.  May  it  prove  so.  I  have  taken  out  of  the  ship's 
"  run"  a  can  (ninety  pounds)  of  pemmican,  aud  one  cask  of '  Bor- 
den's' meat-biscuit  (about  one  hundred  pounds),  brought  with  me 
from  home.  These  I  shall  carry  along  in  the  boat,  being  the 
most  condensed  form  of  valuable  provisions.  Not  that  I  expect 
these  will  be  the  only  provisions  I  shall  have,  for  there  is  reason 
to  suppose  we  shall  acquire  mucH  in  going  up  Frobisher  Bay  in 
the  way  of  ducks,  seals,  and  reindeer,  the  latter  when  we  arrive 
at  the  head  of  Frobisher  Bay. 

"At  a  late  hour  I  turn  in,  to  rise  early,  that  we  may  be  off  to 
reap  the  benefit  of  a  fair  tide  not  only  in  going  down  to,  but  pro- 
ceeding through  Lupton  Channel.  An  ebb  tide  will  favor  us 
much  in  getting  to  the  channel,  and  the  flood  in  getting  through 
it." 


352  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

^artuvc  on  Boat-voyage  to  explore  Frobishcr  Bay. — An  Innuit  Crew. — Aiitlior 
le  only  White  M-.in. — Arrives  at  Liipton  Channel,  and  makes  first  Encampment. 
Next  Pay's  Journey. — Innuit  Mode  of  drowning  Ducks. — Joyousness  of  the 
('  V. — Passing  through  Bear  Sound. — Visit  the  deserted  Whaling  Dejiot. — Sec- 
ond *^ncam]iment  on  Siiarko. — Third  Day's  Trip. — A  Bear-hunt  in  the  Water. — 
Author's  narrow  Escape. — Land  on»Oopungnewing. — Musquitoes  again. — Visit 
Niountelik. — Explore  tlie  Island. — Important  Discovery. — "Sea-coal!" — Proof 
of  Frobishcr's  Expedition  having  visited  here. — Joy  of  the  Author. — Corroborative 
Testimony  of  Innuits  from  Tradition. — Carefully  examine  a  Deposit  of  Coal. — 
Return  to  Oopungnewing. — Great  Feast  on  the  Bear. — Innuit  Customs. — Bear's 
Bladder  and  Charms. — Polar  Bear's  Liver  poisonous. 

'•'■Friday,  August  9l/i,  18G1.  I  was  up  in  good  season,  and  got 
every  thing  in  readiness  ;  then  started  ofF  in  a  boat  a  company  of 

young  Innuits — '  trundle-bed  Innuits,'  as  Captain  B called 

them — who  slept  aboard  the  George  Henry  last  night,  to  call  uj) 
Koojesse,  and  Kooperncung,  and  their  nulianas  (wives). 

"  Breakfast  was  ready  at  the  appointed  moment,  and  the  Innu- 
its of  my  company  ready  for  it.  This  dispatched,  my  bag  and 
baggage  were  placed  snugly  in  the  boat,  along  with  the  alrcad} 
well-packed  assortment  such  as  Innuits  have.  As  usual  in  start- 
ing off,  I  compared  chronometers.     *     *     *    *     * 

"  All  in  readiness  and  aboard,  we  start,  purposing  to  stop  at 
Whale  Island  for  Koodloo,  Koo-ou-le-arng  (Suzhi),  and  my  things, 
as  well  as  to  bid  ni}'  Innuit  children,  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito, 
good-by.     All  hands  were  on  deck  to  witness  our  departure. 

Caj)tain  B 's  smiling  face,  of  course,  was  not  wanting  in  the 

picture  the  scene  presented.  As  the  boat  was  pushed  out  into 
fair  water  for  a  '  white-ash  breeze,'  standing  with  steering-oar  in 

my  hand,  I  asked  Captain  B if — '  in  the  name  of  God  and  the 

Continental' Congress' — I  should  take  possession  of  the  country  I 
was  about  to  visit  and  explore,  planting  the  American  flag  upon 
it. 

"  He  answering  affirmatively,  I  then  bade  him  and  all  adieu, 
expressing  the  hope  that  when  I  returned  I  should  find  ever}- 
cask  of  the  George  Henry  overflowing  with  oil,  and  all  her  decks 
filled  high  with  bone.  * 


EXl'LOUING  EXPEDITION.  353 

"We  started  from  the  vessel  at  6  14  A.M.,  and  arrived  at  Whale 
Island  at  7.  I  found  the  Innuits,  my  friends  Ebierbing  and  Too- 
koolito,  expecting  me.  They  seem  to  regret  they  can  not  accom- 
pany me  on  this  trip.  I  was  glad  to  find  Ebierbing  improving. 
Having  spent  a  few  moments  with  them,  I  told  them  that,  to  make 
out  my  crew,  I  must  have  Koo-ou-le-arng,  Ebierbing's  aunt,  if  they 
could  spare  her.  In  ten  minutes  she  was  ready  for  the  journey 
of  two  months.  I  called  on  Koodloo,  who  made  all  haste  in  pre- 
paring to  accompany  me.  Jennie,  Koodloo's  wife,  as  I  have  said, 
could  not  be  spared,  as  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito  thought  her  in- 
dispensable in  her  profession  as  an  angeko  for  the  former  while 
he  is  sick. 

"As  we  (Koodloo  and  I)  had  not  succeeded  in  getting  any  thing 
of  consequence  in  the  way  of  fresh  provisions  for  Ebierbing  and 
Tookoolito  during  my  stay  upon  Whale  Island,  I  left  them  the 
remainder  of  the  can  of  pemmican  on  hand,  also  a  small  portion 
of  the  bread,  coffee,  and  tea  of  the  allotment  to  me  for  my  Fro- 

bishcr  Bay  trip.     Captain  B is  to  send  a  boat  from  the  George 

Henry  for  these  Innuits,  also  for  Koodloo's  wife  and  children,  to 
remove  them  to  the  place  where  the  other  Innuits  are,  near  the 
present  position  of  the  vessel." 

It  was  8  A.M.  when  wo  left  Whale  Island,  Eescue  Harbor, 
under  sail.  My  company  consisted  of  Koojesse  and  his  wife  Tu- 
nuk-der-licn  ("Belle"),  Koo-per-ne-ung  ("Charley,"),  and  his  wife 
Ak-chuk-er-zhun  ("  Susy"),  Kood-loo,  and  the  widow  Koo-ou-le- 
arng  ("Suzhi").  They  were  all  in  excellent  spirits  as  well  as 
myself  In  about  forty  minutes  a  boat  came  alongside  manned 
with  Innuits,  who  were  on  their  way  across  the  bay  for  a  tuktoo 
hunt.  • 

From  the  ship  to  Whale  Island,  and  also  from  Whale  Island 
out  into  the  bay,  we  encountered  much  ice  that  the  wind  and  tide 
had  driven  in  from  Davis's  Straits.  Between  Parker's  Bay  and 
French  Head  we  made  an  island  which  I  found  to  be  entirely  of 
rock,  without  a  particle  of  vegetation  or  of  soil.  An  impenetrable 
fog  had  surrounded  us  nearly  all  the  afternoon,  and  the  boat  com- 
pass was  in  constant  use  until  toward  evening,  when  the  fog  be- 
gan to  lift.  Charley  shot  a  seal  at  a  long  distance  with  my  rifle. 
We  now  had  a  raw  seal  feast.  As  we  approached  Lupton  Chan- 
nel— which  it  was  doubtful  if  we  could  get  through,  on  account 
of  the  quantity  of  ice — we  passed  a  berg,  which  Tunukderlien  as- 

Z 


354  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

ccndcd.  At  6  44  P.M.  we  reached  the  entrance  of  Lupton  Chan- 
nel, and  found  a  strong  tide  running  into  Field  Bay,  whirling, 
foaming,  roaring,  and  boiling  like  a  caldron.  As  we  labored  on, 
at  our  right  were  the  iron  cliffs  of  Bache's  Peninsula,*  and  con- 
spicuous among  them  was  a  bold  rock  terminating  like  a  chim- 
ney-top. On  the  left  lay  Lok's  Land,  the  "  much-dreaded  land" 
of  the  Innuits ;  and  looking  forward  down  the  channel,  we  saw 
the  bold  front  of  Ellis  Island.  By  dint  of  hard  pulling  we  at 
last  got  through  the  channel,  but  I  had  to  give  up  all  idea  of 
reaching  Cape  True  that  night,  as  had  been  my  intention  and 
hope.  Wo  therefore  stopped  at  8  P.M.  in  a  small  cove  on  the 
southeast  side  of  Bache's  Peninsula,  and  opposite  to  Ellis  Island, 
and  there  made  our  first  encampmcnt.f  Ducks  were  abundant, 
and  the  Innuits  shot  several.  Wc  found  wood  plentiful,  from  the 
wreck  of  the  Traveller.  We  were  closely  packed  this  first  night 
out  in  our  large  tupic,  after  a  glorious  supper  of  seal,  ducks,  and 
coffee. 

Ilerc  we  found  relics  of  former  Innuit  encampments,  circles  of 
stones,  bones  of  seal,  walrus,  etc.  AVc  saw  a  white  whale  making 
its  way  up  the  channel. 

Next  morning,  Saturday,  August  10th,  1861,  at  8  A.M.,  we  pro- 
ceeded on  our  voyage.  In  passing  down  through  Bear  Sound, 
soon  after  leaving,  I  witnessed  a  novel  j^rocccding  on  the  part 
of  my  companions.  It  consisted  in  drowning  some  of  the  ducks 
that  played  about  us  in  large  numbers.  This  cruel  metliod  of 
obtaining  game  was  used  to  save  shot  and  powder,  and  the  man- 
ner of  accomplishing  it  is  as  follows  : 

A  flock  of  ducks  was  seen  swimming  some  distance  ahead  of 
us.  As  we  approached,  most  of  them  flapped  their  wings  and 
flew  away,  but  the  rest  dived  below  the  siftface  of  the  water. 
One  of  them  was  selected  for  the  subject  of  Innuit  amusement, 
thus :  whenever  it  popped  its  head  out  of  water,  the  natives  made 
a  great  noise,  accompanied  with  every  conceivable  motion,  throw- 
ing about  their  hands  and  arms  to  frighten  the  bird  down  again. 
On  its  reappearance,  wherever  it  showed  itself,  the  boat  was  steer- 
ed by  Koojcsse  toward  it.  Then  the  same  noise  and  frantic  ges- 
tures were  repeated,  and  continued  without  intermission,  so  as  to 

*  I  have  named  this  peninsula  after  A.  D.  Bnchc,  Superintendent  of  the  United 
States  Coast  Siir\-cy.  It  is  bounded  by  Field  Bay,  Lupton  Channel,  Bear  Sound, 
and  Chapell  Inlet. 

t  First  encampment  in  lat.  C2°  33'  N.,  long.  G4°  43'  W. 


PASSING  TllBOnOII  LIII'TON  CHANNEL, 


NOVEL  DUCK-HUNT.  357 

allow  not  one  moment's  breathing-time  to  the  terrified  duck. 
Koodloo  stood  on  the  bow  of  the  boat,  pointing  out  the  course 
taken  by  the  duck,  which  could  bo  easily  traced  in  the  clear  wa- 
ters below,  and  on  the  instant  of  the  sign  being  given,  Koojcsse 
most  expertly  turned  the  boat  in  the  direction  indicated.  In 
seven  minutes  the  duck  gave  up  the  chase.  It  came  to  the  sur- 
face utterly  exhausted,  and  was  easily  captured  by  Koodloo,  who 
hauled  it  in  with  his  hand. 

The  joyous  feelings  displayed  by  the  Innuits  over  this  capture, 
which  was  to  them  a  source  of  amusement,  was  hardly  less  than 
if  they  had  killed  a  Ninoo.  The  rocks  and  hills  bordering  on 
Bear  Sound  resounded  with  their  joyous  shouts  and  boisterous 
laughter.  Echo  sent  back  their  merry  voices,  until  I  myself, 
though  vexed  at  any  delays  that  might  retard  us,  could  not  help 
joining  in  the  hilarity  of  the  scene. 

This  way  of  securing  ducks  was  continued  for  some  time,  and 
ended  with  what  was  to  me  an  affecting  trait  of  nature,  always 
touching  to  the  heart.  One  of  the  ducks  caught  was  a  mother, 
with  its  young  still  unfledged.  The  parent  was  dying,  and  the 
fledgling,  at  each  gasp  of  its  mother,  would  place  its  beak  in  con- 
tact with  that  of  its  parent,  as  if  soliciting  food,  and  then  crouch 
beneath  th6  old  duck's  wings  to  nestle  there.  Again  and  again 
was  this  done,  as  if  trying  all  its  power  to  attract  the  watchful  at- 
tention of  its  mother;  but  it  was  soon  left  alone,  and  Tunukder- 
lien  then  took  care  of  it. 

So  much  time  had  been  consumed  in  drowning  ducks  and  in 
sealing  that  the  tide  was  now  against  us,  forcing  us  to  hold  over  a 
while;  therefore  we  landed  on  Lefferts  Island,*  which  is  in  the 
midst  of  Bear  Sound.  Here  I  took  fi  walk  back  upon  the  island 
while  the  Innuits  were  feasting  on  ducks  and  seal.  At  meridian 
I  took  observations  for  latitude,  and  soon  after  we  again  started, 
making  our  way  down  on  the  west  side  of  the  sound.  The  ducks 
we  now  saw  were  innumerable ;  the  water  and  air  were  black  with 
them. 

On  arriving  at  Cape  True,  the  old  whab'ng  depot,  we  rested  a 
while,  and  I  examined  the  now  deserted  place.  Of  course  no 
white  man's  tent  or  Innuit  tuples  were  to  be  seen,  but  several  frag- 
ments denoted  what  had  existed  there. 

Frobisher  Bay  had  no  ice  upon  its  waters  except  a  few  bergs, 

♦  So  nnmed  by  me  after  Marshnll  Lefferts,  of  New  York  City.     Tliis  island  is  the 
largest  in  Bear  Sound. 


358  AUCTIC  IIKSKAUCII  KXrHDITION. 

luul  not  a  ripplo  disturbed  its  glassy  Hnrlaco.  Tins  compelled  us 
to  use  the  oars  Tor  suino  time  after  leiiving  tiiis  place,  and  what 
with  the  many  slojipages  made  lor  game  by  my  Innuit  eompan- 
ions,  and  a  log  that  al'terward  settled  upon  uh,  it  was  a  tedious 
[lassago  to  our  seeond  eueainj)ment,  which  was  at  Capo  Cracrol'l,* 
a  pi)int  of  land  connected  by  a  narrow  neck  with  l^lunt's  i'enin- 
sula,t  iuHtcad  of  at  Niounlelik,  as  wo  had  expected. 

Wo  ])assed  the  nij^ht  as  the  jirevious  one,  and  tho  next  morn- 
ing again  proceedeil  direct  for  Oopungnewing  Island.  Tiio  same 
kind  of  tantali/.ingbut  exciting  chase  after  ducks  diilayed  us  con- 
siderably, until  wlien  about  two  miles  from  (.Oopungnewing.  Koo- 
jesse  was  steering,  when,  suddenly  taking  up  my  spyghuss,  and 
directing  it  to  some  islets  near  ()oj)ungnewing,  ho  cried  out,  "Ni- 
noo !  Ninoo !''  This  was  enough  to  make  each  of  liic  boat's  crew 
spring  into  new  lile,  for  of  all  giiUie  that  they  delight  in  Ninoo  is 
the  chief.  They  started  ahead  with  fresh  vigor,  the  women  })ull- 
ing  hard,  but  as  noiselessly  as  they  could,  and  tho  men  loading 
their  guns  reaily  for  tho  attack.  1  relieved  Koojesse  at  the  steer- 
ing-oar. 

\Vlien  wo  first  saw  Ninoo  wc  were  about  two  miles  distant  from 
it,  and  I  could  perceive  this  "lion  of  tho  North"  lying  down,  ap. 
parently  asleep ;  but  when  within  lialf  a  mile  Ninoo  saw  us,  raised 
liimself  upon  his  haunches,  looked  around,  then  fixedly  at  u.s,  and 
olV  he  started.  Inunediately  tho  men  began  to  make  some  most 
hideous  noises,  which  arrested  Ninoo  in  his  course,  and  caused 
him  to  turn  round.  This  was  what  wc  wanted,  to  gain  time  in 
the  chase  which  had  now  b(>gun.  But  Ninoo  was  not  so  easily  cn- 
trajipcd.  His  stay  was  only  for  a  moment.  Oil' he  went  again, 
fiying  over  the  island,  and  quickly  disappuarinp;  Then,  with  a 
strong  pull,  and  a  firm,  steady  one,  the  boat  was  sent  swiftly  along. 
Presently  a  point  of  the  islet  where  we  had  seen  Ninoo  was 
rounded,  and  again  wo  beheld  him  far  ahead  of  us,  swimming  di- 
rect for  Oopungnewing.  This  encouraged  tho  Innuits.  They  re- 
newed their  shouts  without  intermission.  Every  now  and  then 
the  object  of  our  pursuit  would  wheel  his  huge  form  around,  and 
take  a  look  at  his  pursuers ;  and  now  the  chase  became  very  ex- 

*  This  cnpo,  jit  tho  somhenst  side  of  tho  entrance  to  the  Countess  of  Warwick's 
Sound  (of  Frobislier),  I  name  nftor  Miss  Craeroft,  niece  of  Lady  Franklin.  It  is  in 
lat.  (52=^  41'  30"  N.,  lonp.  Gr>°  07'  W. 

f  The  land  hounded  by  Rnyaid  Taylor  Pass,  Field  Bay,  Cliapell  Inlet,  and  Fi'o- 
bislicr  Bay,  I  have  named  after  Edward  and  Geor^je  W.  Blunt,  of  New  York  City. 


rOLAIl-UKAU  IIUN'I'. 


859 


citing.  Wo  wcro  gaining  on  liitn.  Ninoo  saw  tliis,  and  tliorcforo 
tried  to  balllo  iis.  IIo  .suddenly  cliangiMl  liis  (;(jnr,s(i,  und  went 
t)ut  directly  Ibr  the  niiiUllo  of  the  bay.  In  an  instant  wc  did  the 
same,  the  oltl  cni/y  boat  bonnding  I'orward  a«  HvviCtly  as  our  oara- 
nion  could  propel  it  in  the  heavy  sea  that  then  prevailed.  ]\\xi 
wo  could  not  gain  upon  him.  He  Hoenu;<l  to  know  that  his  life 
wan  in  jeopardy,  and  on  ho  went  without  any  riKjn;  stopping  when 
li(!  heard  a  noise.  Tlio  "voice  of  the  charmer"  no  long(!r  hiid 
(■harms  nor  aught  else  for  him.  lie  had  to  make  all  Hjjccd  away ; 
and  this  he  did  at  about  four  miles  i)er  liour,  striking  out  more 
and  more  into  the  open  bay.  Once  ho  so  changed  liis  connse 
that  by  some  dexterous  movement  of  ours  wo  suec(!oded  in  cut- 
ting across  his  wake,  and  this  gave  us  an  opportunity  to  fire. 
Wo  did  so,  but  only  tin;  liall  of  Kooj('.s,se's  gun  took  eflcct.  Ni- 
noo was  struck  in  the  head,  but  the  poor  brute  at  first  merely 
shook  him.self  and  turned  his  cour.se  from  down  the  bay  in  a  con- 
trary direction.  The  shot,  however,  had  told.  In  a  moment  or 
two  wc  could  sec  that  Ninoo  was  getting  enraged.  P^very  now  and 
then  ho  would  take  a  look  at  us  and  .shake  his  liead.  This  made 
the  Innuits  very  cautious  about  le-.ssening  the  di.st.incc  between 
him  and  tho  boat.    Again  we  fired.    One  or  more  shots  took  cf- 


WOrHDED  KINOO  TOWS  UIS  OWN  OAECABB  KOB  US. 


360  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

feet.  Ninoo's  white  coat  was  crimsoned  with  blood  about  his 
head,  and  he  was  getting  desperate.  His  movements  were  errat- 
ic, but  we  finally  drove  him  again  in  the  direction  of  Oopungne- 
wing,  our  policy  being  to  make  him  tow  his  own  carcass  as  near 
the  land  as  would  be  safe  to  prevent  his  escape,  and  then  to  end 
his  life.  This  was  accomplished  when  within  about  one  eighth 
of  a  mile  from  the  island.  The  last  shot  was  fired,  and  Ninoo  in- 
stantly dropped  his  head  without  making  another  motion. 

We  now  pulled  to  him.  He  was  quite  dead,  and  we  at  once 
took  him  in  tow  by  fastening  a  walrus  thong  around  his  lower 
jaw,  its  huge  tusks  effectually  serving  to  keep  the  noose  from 
.slipping  off.  Thus  we  towed  our  prize  along,  until,  reaching  the 
land,  we  hauled  him  on  shore,  and  made  our  third  encampment 
upon  the  southwest  side  of  Oopungnewing  Islanc.'.* 

During  this  chase  I  had  a  narrow  escape  from  losing  my  life. 
Koojesse  was  seated  on  the  locker  at  the  boat's  stern,  with  gun 
cocked  and  leveled  at  Ninoo,  when,  just  as  he  was  about  to  pull 
the  trigger,  I,  intent  upon  the  bear,  suddenly  rose,  right  in  a  line 
with  his  aim.  It  was  but  a  second  of  time  that  saved  me.  Koo- 
jesse had  just  time  to  drop  his  gun,  as  frightened  as  man  could 
be  at  the  danger  in  which  I  had  unknowingly  placed  myself 

While  we  were  firing  at  the  bear,  Tunukderlien  and  another 
of  the  women,  for  some  reason  unknown  to  me  at  the  time,  lay 
down  in  the  boat  completely  covered  with  tuktoo  skins. 

As  soon  as  we  landed  I  went  to  the  top  of  the  island  to  make 
observations  and  look  around,  but  the  vast  swarms  of  musquitoes 
attacked  me  with  such  violence  that  I  was  almost  desperaio.  Aft- 
er catching  a  few  sights  for  time  (longitude)  and  a  solar  bearing, 
and  taking  a  roiind  of  angles,  I  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  So  torment- 
ed was  I  that  I  thought  I  had  lost  as  much  blood  during  the  time 
I  was  up  there  as  the  Ninoo  we  killed. 

Musquitoes  are  fond  of  white  men's  blood.  They  can  smell  it 
a  long  way  off,  I  am  sure,  for  they  came  in  swarms  from  every  di- 
rection, and  made  me  the  centre-point  of  their  bill  presentations. 
When  I  got  back  to  the  encampment  I  must  have  looked  very 
hideous,  for  my  hands  and  face  were  blotched  all  over. 

I  found  the  Innuits  had  skinned  Ninoo,  and  were  feasting  on 

*  Oo-pung-ne-wing  is  near  the  west  side  of  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound,  and  is 
one  mile  and  a  half  long  and  one  mile  wide.  It  is  like  all  the  land  of  that  country 
— lUKged  rocks  unJ  mountainous.  This  island  is.  in  lat.  C2°  40'  30"  N.,  long.  05' 
17'  W. 


SEARCH  FOR  RELICS.  361 

its  delicious  meat — beef-like,  bright  red,  and  juicy,  I  made  a  hasty 
meal,  and,  without  farther  delay,  prepared  to  gratify  my  now  cher- 
ished and  eager  desire  to  penetrate  the  mysteries  hanging  over 
the  Frobisher  expeditions.    I  now  copy  from  my  journal : 

'' Sundai/,Auf^uslll(h,  IStil.  ****««**** 
******!  soon  made  up  a  company  to  go  with  me 
to  Niountelik.  It  consisted  of  the  women  of  the  crew,  Koo-ou- 
le-arng,  Tu-nuk-der-lien,  and  Ak-chuk-er-zhun.  Of  course  I  was 
boat-steerer.  It  was  near  six  P.M.,  Rescue  Harbor  time,  before 
we  got  under  way.  As  we  rounded  the  northwest  point  of  Oo- 
pungnewing  Island,  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  northeast  met  us. 
Before  making  half  a  mile  it  increased  to  almost  a  moderate  gale, 
making  progress  difficult  for  us.  By  turning  the  boat  off  the 
course  I  desired  to  pursue  wc  were  able  to  make  better  headway, 
being  under  the  lee  of  the  island  Niountelik.  Before  getting 
across  the  channel  between  Oopungnewing  and  Niountelik,  I  be- 
gan to  think,  as  my  crew  was  so  small,  I  should  be  obliged  to  turn 
back.  Indeed,  the  wind  began  to  blow  so  furiously  that  I  had 
thoughts  that  we  might  l!e  blown  out  into  the  Bay  of  Frobisher, 
which  often  has  all  the  characteristics  of  an  open  sea ;  but,  being 
shielded  by  the  island,  we  coasted  along  the  base  of  the  bluffs  on 
the  southern  le  of  Niountelik  till  we  arrived  at  a  small  bight 
well  protected  from  all  wind.  Into  this  I  directed  the  boat,  which 
greatly  relieved  all  of  us  from  the  dangers  through  wliich  we  had 
just  passed.  This  bight  is  partly  surrounded  with  a  high,  steep 
sand-bank,  most  of  it,  however,  by  bluff  rocks.  I  did  not  consider 
it  safe  to  leave  the  boat  without  a  party  to  care  for  it,  as  there  was 
a  heavy  sea  from  the  south,  therefore  I  requested  Tunukderlien 
and  Akehukerzhun  to  remain  by  or  in  it  till  I  and  Kco-ou-lc-arng 
(whom  I  wished  to  accompany  me  as  guide,  as  she  had  often  vis- 
ited the  island  in  her  young  days)  could  make  a  search  over  the 
place  and  return.  Climbing  the  steep  bank,  though  a  feat  not 
easily  accomplished,  was  soon  performed.  When  up,  we  directed 
our  steps  along  a  narrow,  smooth,  gr.nssy,  slightly  inclined  plain, 
hemmed  in  by  rough  old  rocks.  Thence  we  turned  to  the  left, 
mounting  the  rocks  leading  to  the  highest  part  of  the  island.  We 
kept  our  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground  over  which  we  made  our  foot- 
steps, anxiously  searching  for  fragments  of  brick,  which  I  thought 
must  somewhere  be  found  on  Niountelik.  I  had  understood  Koo- 
ou-le-amg  to  say  that  she  had  seen  brick  on  this  island,  there- 
fore every  few  minutes  I  said  to  her,  'Nbu-ii-via  hriclvf  (where  id 


362  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

brick  ?)  To  make  her  understand '  hrich,^  I  took  up  a  small  stone 
spotted  over  with  a  peculiar  red  moss,  calling  her  attention  to 
the  red  ;  and  then,  taking  oif  her  head  ornament — '  kar-oong''*  (a 
rounded,  polished  piece  of  brass  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle,  fitted 
to  and  worn  on  the  head  by  the  Innuit  women  as  an  adornment), 
I  made  motions  as  if  polishing  it,  for  I  kn-iw,  from  information  I 
had  gained  from  time  to  time,  that  Innuits  had  procured  pieces 
of  brick  somewhere  on  or  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  island  on 
which  we  were,  and  used  them  specially  for  brightening  their  or- 
naments, to  wit,  hair-rings  (toong-Ie-le-une),  finger-rings  {iiulc-gwer- 
ming),  and  kar-oongs. 

"  Koo-ou-le-arng  knew  by  my  description  what  I  desired  to 
find,  but  did  not  seem  to  recollect  where  she  had  seen  brick ; 
though,  from  her  expressions  and  conduct,  I  was  satisfied  she  had 
seen  mik-e-oo-lcoo-loo  (small)  pieces  somewhere  in  the  vicinity. 
Gaining  the  top  of  the  island,  we  made  search  there  for  relics,  but 
found  none.  I  looked  specially  for  some  signs  of  a  stone  monu- 
ment, which  I  conceived  Frobisher  might  in  his  day  (if  he  visited 
this  island)  have  erected,  this  being  the  lighcst  point  of  the  whole 
island.  But  none  whatever  could  I  find.  Thence  we  directed 
our  way  down  on  the  west  side  to  a  small  grassy  slope,  not 
far  from  the  termination  of  the  island.  Here  we  made  careful 
search,  but  without  finding  any  thing  that  I  so  ardently  wished. 
Thence  we  commenced  to  make  a  circuit  of  the  island,  moving 
along  as  near  the  coast  as  the  bluff  rocks  would  permit,  keeping 
the  main  island  at  our  right — that  is,  continuing  northwest,  then 
around  to  the  north,  thence  northeast  and  east.  At  the  north- 
west end  of  the  island  we  found  abundance  of  evidence  tuat  In- 
nuits had  made  Niountelik  a  stopping-place.  There  we  saw  the 
usual  circles  of  stones,  always  to  be  seen  where  Innuits  have  had 
their  tuples  (summer  tents).  We  saw  seal,  walrus,  tuktoo  (rein- 
deer), meituk  (duck),  and  various  other  bones  in  abundance,  some 
moss-aged,  and  some  nearly  fresh,  of  not  more  than  two  or  three 
years'  exposure.  Here  we  found  also  pieces  of  wood,  §ome  with 
the  ends  charred,  small  pieces  of  tuktoo  skins,  and  one  relic  of 
civilization — a  piece  of  an  old  calico  dress !  This  did  not  excite 
me  as  a  matter  extraordinary,  as  I  knew  that  the  whalers  now 
visit  every  year  the  inlet  at  the  north,  called  '  Northumberland 
Inlet'  (the  '  Cumberland  Straits'  of  Davis),  and  distribute  freely 
among  the  Innuits  various  articles  of  civihzation,  especially  cast- 

♦  For  the  way  this  ornament  is  worn,  sec  head  of  Nik-u-jar,  pnge  154. 


EELICS  OF  THREE  CENTURIES. 


363 


off  calico  dresses  that  they  have  brought  from  the  States  or  from 
England,  which  are  highly  prized  by  the  Innuit  women.  It  is 
rare  to  find,  at  the  present  day,  a  native  family  that  does  not  pos- 
sess something  of  the  kind. 

"We  continued  on  around  the  island,  finding,  every  few  fath- 
oms in  our  progress,  numerous  Innuit  relics.  At  length  we  ar- 
rived at  a  plain  that  extended  back  a  considerable  distance  from 
the  coast.  Here  we  recognized,  at  our  right,  about  sixty  rods  dis- 
•^-rt,  the  point  to  which  we  first  directed  our  steps  on  reaching 
the  high  bank  after  leaving  the  boat. 

"I  was  several  fathoms  in  advance  of  Koo-ou-le-arng,  hasten- 
ing on,  being  desirous  to  make  as  extended  a  search  as  the  brief 
remaining  daylight  would  allow,  when,  lifting  my  eyes  from  the 
ground  near  me,  I  discovered,  a  considerable  distance  ahead,  an 
object  of  an  unusual  appearance.     But  a  second  look  satisfied  me 


^^^^  '^Tf?^^-^ 


Till  DlaOOVBBV  OP  FROUIBDEn  BELIOB  NEAnt.Y  THREE  UnNDItlCI)  YEAK8  OLD,  StTNDAY, 
AlUUbT  llTU,  1801. 


364  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

that  what  I  saw  were  simply  stones  scattered  about  and  covered 
with  black  moss.  I  continued  my  course,  keeping  as  near  the 
coast  as  possible.  I  was  now  nearing  the  spot  where  I  had  first 
descried  the  black  object.  It  again  met  my  view ;  and  my  orig- 
inal thought  on  first  seeing  it  resumed  at  once  the  ascendency  in 
my  mind.  I  hastened  to  the  spot.  '  Great  God !  Thou  hast  re- 
warded me  in  my  search  I'  was  the  sentiment  that  came  over- 
whelmingly into  my  thankful  soul.  On  casting  my  eyes  all 
around,  seeing  and  feeling  the  character  ('  moss-aged,'  for  some 
of  the  pieces  I  saw  had  jjcllicles  of  black  moss  on  them)  of  th(! 
relics  belbre  and  under  me,  I  felt  as — I  can  not  tell  what  my  feel- 
ings were.  What  I  saw  before  me  was  sea-coal  of  Frobisher's  ex- 
pedition of  1578,  left  here  near  three  centuries  ago! 

"  Koo-ou-le-arng,  seeing  that  I  had  discovered  something  that 
made  me  joyous  (even  unto  dancing),  came  running  with  all  her 
might.  Though  she  and  other  Innuits  have  known  all  about 
this  coal  being  here  (as  I  find  by  what  she  and  Koojcsse  inform 
me  to-night),  yet  not  a  word*  had  ever  been  communicated  to  me 
about  it.  I  liad,  by  perseverance,  gained  information  during  the 
year  of  brick  and  heavy  stones  (the  latter,  of  course,  I  thought  to 
mean  iron),  but  nothing  of  coals.*  As  soon  as  Koo-ou-lc-arng 
came  up,  I  held  out  my  hand  to  her,  which  was  full  of  coal,  ask- 
ing '  A7s-a'«  .i^' (What  is  this?)  She  answered, '//i/iiaV  kook-umJ 
By  this  I  took  it  that  the  Innuits  have  sometimes  used  it  in  cook- 
ing. Said  I, '  Innuil  ikkumer  c-a-u  V  (Did  the  Innuits  ever  use  this 
for  a  fire  to  cook  with?)  Mr??zefo?-??r/' (Yes)  was  the  instant  re- 
sponse. I  then  asked,  '  Noulima .?'  meaning,  \yherc  did  these 
coals  come  from?  Koo-ou-le-arng's  response  was,  '■Kodlunarn  oo- 
miaikchua  kietc  amasuadlo  cchar^  (A  great  many  years  ago,  white 
men  with  big  ship  came  here).  This  answer  made  me  still  more 
joyous.  From  what  I  find  on  my  return  to  Oopungnewing,  Koo- 
ou-lc-arng  has  communicated  to  her  Innuit  friends  some  of  my 
conduct  v'hile  on  that  coal-pile.  She  said  that  I  acted  just  like 
an  angcko,  and  that  I  had  done  one  thing  an  Innuit  could  not  do 
— that  I  had  danced,  and  laughed,  and  made  a  complete  somerset 
on  the  coal ! 

"And  why  did  I  feel  so  happy?  Because  of  the  discovery  I 
have  made  to-day  of  what  is  a  confirmation  of  the  testimony — 

♦  When  I  wrote  the  originnl,  of  which  the  above  is  a  verbatim  copy,  I  had  forgot- 
ten the  mention  of  coal  in  the  communication  made  to  me  by  old  Ookijoxy  Ninoo, 
recorded  on  the  1 1th  of  the  jircvious  May.     Sec  page  280. 


AGE  OF  THE  RELICS.  365 

oral  history — I  had  acquired  by  great  perseverance  from  the  In- 
nuits,  that  a  great  many  years  ago — many  generations  ago — hod- 
lunarn  oomiarkchua  (white  men  with  big  ship)  came  into  this  bay 
(Tin-nu-jok-ping-oo-se-ong) ;  because  of  the  chain  that  I  felt  was 
now  complete,  that  determined  this  to  be  the  bay  that  Frobisher 
discovered  in  1576,  and  revisited  consecutively  in  the  years  1577 
and  1578,  and  that  Niountelik,  the  island  of  my  visitation  to-day, 
was  the  identical  one*  on  which  Frobisher  landed  with  the  object 
of  establishing  winter  quarters  for  the  colony  of  a  hundred  men 
that  he  brought  here  in  his  last  voyage,  to  wit,  in  1578 ! 

"  The  account  which  Frobisher  gave  of  his  discovery  was  so 
indefinite  that  the  civilized  world  has  remained  in  doubt  for  near- 
ly three  hundred  years  of  its  locality.  Even  to  tliis  day  geogra- 
phers know  not  its  location.  Some  one  has  made  a  guess,  and 
approximated  to  the  fact — simply  approximated.  In  a  few  days 
I  trust  I  shall  return,  either  confirming  it  to  be  a  '  strait,'  as  it  is 
called,  or  with  the  full  conviction  that  this  water  is  a  bay,  which 
I  believe  it  to  be,  from  what  the  Innuits  have  told  me. 

"I  now  resume  the  incidents  of  this  day.  A  few  minutes  after 
Koo-ou-le-arng's  arrival  at  the  coal-heap,  I  proceeded  to  investi- 
gate more  scarehingly  into  the  probablii  time  it  had  been  there, 
and  all  other  matters  pertaining  to  it. 

"  I  first  dug  down  in  the  centre  to  ascertain  its  depth ;  found  it 
to  be  one  foot  in  the  thickest  part,  and  thinning  off  to  an  edge  at 
a  distance  of  five  to  ten  feet  from  the  centre.  On  walking  around, 
I  found  that  the  winds,  mostly  those  from  the  northeast,  north,  and 
northwest,  had  scattered  the  coal  (chiefly  small  pieces)  over  a  great 
extent  of  ground.  In  fact,  wind  from  the  opposite  points  would 
carry  such  coal  as  it  could  lick  up  into  the  water  of 'Countess  of 
Warwick's  Sound,'  as  Frobisher  denominated  the  water  at  the 
northwest,  north,  northeast,  east,  and  southeast  of  Niountelik,  for 
the  coal  deposit  is  close  by  the  bank  bordering  the  sound. 

"  To  satisfy  myself  fully  that  this  coal  must  have  been  where  it 
lies  for  a  grent  many  years,  I  dug  around  and  beneath  the  clods 
of  thickly-matted  grass — around  and  beneath  stunted  willows  and 
'crowberry'  shrubs — around  and  beneath  mosses.  "Wherever  I 
made  these  excavations  I  found  coal.  Many  places  overgrown 
with  grass  I  examined)  digging  down  a  depth  of  several  inches, 
and  overturning  sods  exhibiting  coal  at  the  base,  then  a  layer  of 

*  This  conclusion  was  too  hnsty,  as  I  discovoreJ  on  my  return  tVoni  the  hend  of 
Frobisher  Bay,  when  I  visited  Kodlunarn  Island. 


366  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

sand  and  coal,  tlien  another  layer  of  two  or  three  inches  of  sand, 
overtopped  by  interlocked  roots,  whence  extended  thrifty  grass. 
The  roots  of  the  stunted  willows,  half  an  inch  in  diameter  at  the 
base  of  the  trunk,  pierced  down  into  sand,  and  thence  into  coal ! 
On  examination  of  many  pieces  of  coal,  bedded — some  in  grass, 
some  in  sand,  and  some  in  moss — the  upper  side,  exposed  to  the 
air,  I  found  to  be  covered  with  pellicles  of  black  moss,  such  as 
one  finds  upon  the  rocks  of  ages. 

"  I  am  convinced,  from  what  I  have  seen  to-day,  that  this  coal 
has  lain  there  for  centuries.  If  it  was  placed  there  by  Frobisher 
(and  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  was),  then  the  time  of  its  deposit  was 
but  eighty-five  years  after  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus. 

"  W  i  continued  our  search  for  other  relics.  I  desired  very  much 
to  find  even  the  smallest  fragment  of  brick ;  but  the  shades  of 
night  prevented  a  thorough  search;  therefore,  filling  my  pock- 
ets with  the  sable  relics,  which  drew  a  hearty  laugh  from  Koo-ou- 
Ic-arng,  I  reluctantly  turned  from  this  deeply  interesting  place, 
and  led  the  way  across  the  island  to  the  boat  We  found  every 
thing  all  right,  and  ready  for  a  quick  sail  to  our  third  encamp- 
ment, Oopungnewing.  Getting  out  of  our  boat  harbor,  the  wind 
filled  our  sails  (it  was  still  blowing  hard),  and  away  wc  bounded. 
Now  and  then  a  gust  came  that  almost  threw  our  craft  on  her 
beam-ends.  While  Koo-ou-le-arng  steered,  I  held  on  to  the  sheets, 
ready  to  '  douse,'  or  let  go,  on  the  instant  of  any  sudden  violent 
blast.  Several  times  during  our  passage  free  play  was  given  to 
the  sail ;  but  in  good  time,  and  safely,  and  with  a  thankful  heart, 
on  my  part  at  least,  for  the  discovery  I  this  evening  have  made, 
we  arrived  back. 

''  Koojesse,  Kooperneung,  and  Koodloo  had  an  excellent  hot 
supper  ready  for  us  on  our  arrival.  There,  upon  the  clean,  tide- 
washed  rocks  of  Oopungnewing,  the  cerulean  dome,  pierced  with 
star-points,  for  our  canopy,  we  made  a  feast  on  sweet,  juicy  fresh 
'beef — Kinoo.  Incomparable  is  the  relish  with  which  I  have 
partaken  to-night  of  the  polar-bear  meat,  with  its  t\;rT)-inch  coating 
of  fiat,  white  as  the  driven  snow. 

"  The  fresh  meat  of  Ninoo,  with  which  we  have  been  blessed 
to-day,  exceeds  800  pounds.  Every  one  of  my  company  partici- 
pates in  mj]oy  in  making  the  discovery  I  have  to-day. 

"A  heavy  seo.  has  been  rolling  in  all  day  from  the  south.  We 
have  had  a  hard  tug  to-night  drawing  up  the  boat  above  the 
reach  of  the  tide. 


POLAR-BEAR  LIVER  POISONOUS.  367 

"  Now  we  have  a  Ninoo,  of  course  the  Innuits  will  inflate  the 
bladder,  and  attach  it,  with  several  peculiar  charms,  to  a  staff, 
which  must  be  kept  in  a  prominent  position — in  the  boat  while 
we  are  voyaging,  and  on  the  tupic  while  encamped.  In  accord- 
ance with  Innuit  custom,  it  must  be  thus  exposed  for  three  days 
and  three  nights. 

"  We  leave  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Ninoo  here  on  depos- 
it against  our  return.  The  bear's  length  was  eight  feet ;  it  was 
not  of  the  largest  size ;  its  condition  was  fine,  very  fat,  and  its 
meat  as  tender  and  palatable  as  any  beefsteak  I  ever  ate.  The 
Uver  of  the  polar  bear  is  never  eaten  by  the  Innuits.  Of  course 
they  know  the  general  effect  of  eating  this  part  to  be  as  if  one  were 
poisoned.  They  say  it  makes  them  feel  very  sick,  especially  in 
the  head,  the  hair  dropping  off,  and  the  skin  peeling  from  their 
faces  and  bodies.  They  do  not  allow  the  dogs  to  eat  it,  because 
it  makes  them  also  sick,  and  causes  all  their  hair  to  come  off. 
They  either  bury  the  liver  or  cast  it  into  the  sea.  Even  after 
this  precaution,  dogs  sometimes  succeed  in  getting  hold  of  it,  and 
it  really  poisons  them." 


368  AllCTIC  llESEAliCU  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Clicwing  old  Boots. — Formation  of  Icebergs. — Innuits  good  Anatomists. — Proceed 
on  the  Voyage. — Koojesso  draughting  the  Const. — Sarah  G.'s  Cape. — Iron  Isl- 
and.— Arrive  at  Jones's  Cape. — A  Settlement  of  Innuits. — Native  Monuments. — 
Dental  Mill  for  trying  out  Oil. — Blowing  a  Gale. — Danger  to  the  Boat. — Arrive 
at  Ming-u-toon. — Next  Day's  Trip. — Great  Rise  and  Fall  of  Tides. — Boat  nearly 
npronnd. — Encamp  on  an  Island. — Bones  of  the  Whale  and  other  Animals. — A 
Grave. — Renew  the  Voyage. — A  Mill-race  of  Waters. — An  exciting  Time. — La- 
borious and  difficult  Work. — Beautiful  Weather. — Arrive  at  Waddell  Bay  and 
make  seventh  Encampment. — Dejiart  again. — Meeting  with  old  Artarkparu. — A 
])ersevering  and  industrious  Cripple. — Proceed  toward  his  Village. — Annawa  and 
other  Natives  there. — Women  busily  engaged  sewing  Skins.-.-Nursing  a  big  Boy. 
— A  good  Feast. — More  information  about  J'robisher's  Ex|)edition. — Continue  tlio 
Voyage. — Numerous  Islands. — Eighth  Encani])ment. — Ascend  a  Mountain. — Re- 
markable Features  about  it. — Large  Caverns. — Hugo  Rocks  ready  to  Fall. — The 
Aurora. — Curious  Phenomena. 

The  following  day,  Monday,  August  12tb,  1861,  Suzlii  and  my- 
self remaining  at  Oopungnewing,  the  rest  of  my  company  set  out 
in  the  boat  for  the  main  land  on  a  tuktoo  liunt.  My  time  was  oc- 
cupied in  taking  observations,  writing,  and  examining  the  island, 
while  Suzhi  was  busily  engaged  in  dressing  sealskins  for  jackets, 
and  "  milling"  old  native  boots — that  is,  making  the  soles  soft  and 
pliant  by  cliewi'ng  them. 

During  the  day  I  heard  some  extraordinary  noises,  like  the 
rumblings  of  an  earthquake.  I  had  noticed  the  same  on  our  way 
from  Cape  Cracroft,  but  now  the  sound  was  so  loud  that  I  could 
not  help  asking  Suzhi  if  she  knew  what  it  was.  She  replied  that 
it  came  from  the  Kingaitc  side  of  tlie  waters ;  and,  from  what  I 
afterward  learned,  it  must  have  been  caused  by  large  masses  of 
ice — icebergs — from  Grinnell  Glacier  falling  into  the  sea.  The 
distance  traversed  by  the  thundering  sound  thus  occasioned  was 
about  forty  miles.  At  other  times,  while  in  this  bay,  I  have  felt 
the  earth  tremble  from  the  same  cause. 

In  the  evening  Suzhi  and  I  took  a  walk  round  to  the  north 
side  of  the  island.  "VVe  had  not  gone  far  when  she  asked  me,  in 
her  native  tongue,  "  Do  you  see  walrus?"  pointing  to  a  long  white 
line  running  up  the  mountain's  side.    I  looked,  and  at  first  sup- 


A  SINGULAll  CUSTOM. 


869 


KU/,lll's    HOOT  "MlM.INd." 


posed  it  to  be  a  vein  of  quartz  running  up  among  the  dark  mos;- 
covcred  rocks ;  but,  on  closer  inspection,  I  found  it  to  consist  of 
over  a  hundred  walrus  jawbones,  placed  in  line  about  two  feet 
apart.  Some  i)arts  of  each  were  white  as  the  snows  of  Kingaite, 
but  a  considerable  portion  was  covered  with  thick  black  moss. 
•What  this  £'ngular  arnngemcnt  meant  I  had  yet  to  learn. 

We  next  same  to  a  spot  situated  by  the  margin  of  a  grass-plot, 
completely  covered  with  bleached  bones  of  seals,  walrus,  whales, 
and  tuktoo.  Ask  an  Inuuit  to  what  animal  this  and  that  bone 
belonged,  as  you  pick  them  up,  and  he  or  she  will  tell  you  at 
onoc,  the  people  being  in  reality  good  natural  anatomists. 

Wc  passed  on  half  a  mile,  and  reached  a  point  of  high  land, 
Vvhich  looked  out  toward  Niountelik,  but  could  see  none  of  our 
party  returning.  It  was  then  ten  o'clock ;  the  night  was  fine, 
and  a  few  stars  were  visible,  but  it  was  not  yet  late  enough  in  the 
peason  to  bring  out  the  host  there  is  above.  Koojesse  and  his 
party  returned  about  midnight,  but  wholly  unsuccessful,  though 

'  Aa 


870  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

they  had  seen  eight  tuktoo.     This,  however,  was  not  of  serious 
importance,  as  wo  then  had  an  abundance  of  provision. 

We  resumed  our  voyage  on  the  morning  of  the  13th.  Twice 
before  leaving  the  island  I  again  heard  the  loud  thunderings  al- 
ready alluded  to,  and  felt  the  vibrations  of  the  very  earth  itself. 
What  could  this  be  ?  Was  there  a  volcano  on  the  Kingaito  side  ? 
or  were  its  mountains  of  ice  falling  from  their  precipitous  heights? 

It  took  a  long  time  to  strike  tuples,  and  get  every  thing  into  the 
boat  and  in  order.  Last  of  all,  Suzhi  brought  aboard  the  Ninoo's 
bladder  and  the  charms,  and  placed  them  at  the  bow  of  the  boat, 
mounted  on  a  stick.  Without  them  I  strongly  doubt  whether  the 
Innuits  would  have  considered  it  safe  to  go  on.  Our  course  at 
first  led  toward  Sarah  G.'s  Cape*  (Twer-puk-ju-a),  the  way  by 
which  I  went  when  making  a  hurried  visit  four  months  previous. 
Strangely  enough,  as  it  now  seems  to  me,  and  no  doubt  to  my 
readers  also,  I  felt  as  safe  and  contented  as  though  I  were  with 
civilized  men  instead  of  being  alone  among  the  wild,  independent 
natives  of  that  frozen  land.  I  even  did  not  hesitate  to  depend 
upon  them  occasionally  for  some  of  the  work  I  wanted  done  in 
the  way  of  delineating  the  coasts  as  we  passed  along.  Koojcsse 
— the  really  gifted  Esquimaux — now  and  then  acted  as  my  as- 
sistant draughtsman,  his  sketches,  however,  being  afterward  care- 
fully examined  by  me.  While  I  sat  in  the  boat  s  stern  steering 
— a  position  which  allowed  me  to  have  good  views  of  the  land — 
he  sat  before  me  actually  laying  down  most  correctly  upon  paper 
the  coast-line  along  which  we  sailed,  and  with  which  he,  as  well 
aa  Suzhi  and  Tunukderlien,  was  perfectly  familiar.  There  was 
not  a  channel,  cape,  island,  or  bay  which  he  did  not  know  per- 
fectly, having  visited  them  again  and  again. 

One  unacquainted  with  a  new  country  would  often  make  great 
mistakes  by  charting  nearly  every  thing  as  main  land  where  por- 
tions of  it  might  be  islands,  failing  also  to  give  proper  depths  of 
inlet  coast,  unless  he  had  time  to  visit  every  locality.  On  my  pres- 
ent trip  up  the  bay  I  had  not  that  time,  and  therefore  I  reserved 
— to  be  made,  if  possible,''on  my  return — a  closer  examination  of 
the  places  now  draughted  down  under  my  eyes.  During  a,ll  this 
voyage,  however,  I  kept  up  a  constant  record  of  distances  run  and 
courses  steered,  and  made  as  frequent  landings  for  taking  obser- 

*  This  cape,  at  the  west  entrance  to  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound  (of  Fro- 
bisher),  1  have  named  after  Mrs.  Henry  Grinnell.  Sarah  G.'s  Cape  is  two  miles 
northwest  of  Oopungnowing,  and  is  in  lat.  02°  47'  30"  N.,  long.  65°  20'  W. 


MEET  OLD  ACQUAINTANCES.  871 

vations  for  latitude,  longitude,  variation  of  tho  compass,  etc.,  as 
the  circumstances  would  admit. 

Between  Oo-mer-nung  Island  and  Iron  Island — the  former  in 
Wiswell  Inlet*  and  the  latter  near  Peter  Fon-j  Soundf — a  heavy 
sea  prevailed,  rolling  in  from  the  northwest,  .vnd  it  was  astonish- 
ing to  see  my  heavily-laden  boat  ride  so  well  over  the  dashing, 
heaving,  irregular  waters  that  came  upon  us. 

Iron  Island  is  an  interesting  place,  and  I  gave  it  the  name  be- 
cause of  the  resemblance  of  its  rocks  to  oxydized  iron.  Innuit 
monumental  marks,  made  of  the  huge  bones  of  the  whale,  were 
upon  the  island.  Ilere  also,  on  our  landing,  was  found  an  ex- 
cellent piece  of  timber — live  oak — which  probably  belonged  to 
the  wrecked  Traveller,  already  alluded  to.  It  was  dry,  and  so  largo 
and  heavy  that  one  of  the  Innuits  could  only  just  carry  it.  We 
took  it  away  in  the  boat  to  use  for  fuel ;  and,  on  sawing  off  a  por- 
tion, I  found  it  as  sound  as  it  had  ever  been. 

The  place  where  we  determined  to  make  our  next  or  fourth  en- 
campment was  called  by  the  natives  Toong-wine ;  this  I  named 
Jones's  Cape,:};  and  here  wo  expected  to  find  a  settlement  of  In- 
nuits. Before  we  reached  it  a  breeze  sprung  up  and  helped  us 
on.  A  snug  little  harbor  appeared  ahead,  and  an  Esquimaux 
was  observed  on  an  eminence  near  the  shore  eagerly  watching  us. 
As  we  drew  near,  all  the  inhabitants  appeared  to  be  out  on  the 
rocks  to  await  our  arrival ;  and  when  we  landed,  such  as  were 
able  cheerfully  assisted  in  getting  up  our  tents  and  in  other  work. 
Most  of  those  that  I  now  saw  were  familiar  faces.  They  belong- 
ed to  the  party  which  I  had  visited  the  previous  April  farther  up 
the  bay.  But  Sampson  was  now  away  on  a  tuktoo  hunt.  He 
had  recovered  from  his  illness  already  mentioned ;  the  report  of 
it  brought  us  was  doubtless  exaggerated, being  founded  on  an  in- 
correct idea  of  the  disease.  The  old  ladies  whom  I  then  met — 
Shelluarping,  mother  of  Kookin,  and  two  of  her  friends — who 
were  so  pleased  at  my  eating  with  them  in  the  genuine  Innuit 

*  Tliis  inletlnnme  nftcr  William  Wiswell,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  li  is  on  the  north 
side  of  Frobishcr  Bay,  extending  north  twelve  miles  from  Oo-raer-nung,  a  small  high 
island  on  the  east  side  of  tho  entrance  of  the  inlet,  in  Int.  Q2^'  50J'  N.,  long.  66° 
26'  W. 

t  A  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  mostly  surrounded  by  rugged  mountains,  and  thus 
named  by  mc  after  Peter  Force,  of  Washington,  D.  C.  Tho  entrance  to  this  sound 
is  in  lat.  62°  .'S.^J'  N.,  long.  65°  48'  W. 

X  So  named  after  John  D.  Jones,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Jones's  Cape  is  in  lat.  62° 
55' 30"  N.,  long.  65°  45' W. 


372  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

style,  were  here,  and  gave  me  a  hearty  welcome.  Ookgooalloo 
was  sick,  and  I  therefore  visited  him  as  soon  as  I  could,  I  was 
•guided  to  his  tuple  by  his  groans ;  but  when  I  entered  and  asked 
the  name  of  the  sufferer  before  me,  I  was  surprised  to  learn  that 
it  was  my  old  friend,  so  sadly  changed.  Sickness  seemed  unusu- 
ally prevalent ;  indeed,  the  only  three  men  of  the  place  were  so 
feeble  that  not  one  of  them  could  go  out  hunting  or  sealing. 

At  this  spot  were  some  remarkable  monuments  of  stone,  one 
being  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  about  six  feet  high. 


INNriT  MONCMENT  AT  TOONa-WINE — JO.NES'B  CAPE 

In  the  evening,  being  in  want  of  oil  for  my  lamp,  I  went  to 
Koojesse's  tupic  to  obtain  some.  There  I  beheld  a  scene  for  a 
picture : 

Koodloo  and  Charley  made  search,  found  seal-blubber,  brought 
it  in,  and  passed  it  to  Suzhi,  who  was  in  tuktoo,  as  I  may  say — 
that  is,  abed.  Of  course,  like  all  Innuits  when  in  bed,  she  was  en- 
tirely nude ;  but  she  immediately  rose  on  her  elbows,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  bite  off  pieces  of  blubber,  chewing  them,  sucking  the 
oil  out,  then  spirting  it  into  a  little  cone-like  dish,  made  by  invert- 
ing the  bottom  of  my  broken  tin  lamp.  In  this  way  she  obtained 
with  her  dental  "mill,"  in  less  than  two  minutes,  oil  enough  to 


A  NOVEL  SCENE.  373 

fill  two  large-sized  lamps.  Koodloo  and  Kooperneung  were  stand- 
ing up  in  the  tupic  at  the  time,  I  was  seated  with  Akchuker- 
zhun  at  my  right,  on  tuktoo,  by  Suzhi's  head,  waiting  for  my 
lamp,  while  Koojesse  and  his  partner,  Tunukderlien,  were  at  my 
left,  wrapped  in  Innuit  slumbers.  It  was  a  novel  scene,  that  of 
Koo-ou-le-arng's  operations  in  grinding  blubber  for  oil ;  in  par- 
ticular, the  incidental  exhibition  of  what  Burns  describes  as 

"Twa  drifted  hoops,  sae  fair  to  see," 

exaggerated  in  size,  as  is  the  case  with  most  Innuit  women,  struck 
me  forcibly.  The  whole  scene,  thougli  so  strange  to  me,  was  taken 
by  the  Innuits  as  an  every-day  affair,  and  quite  a  matter  of  course. 

The  Innuits  certainly  show  peculiar  skill  in  thus  expressing 
oil  without  allowing  a  particle  of  moisture  to  come  in  contact  with 
it.  It  may  be  doubted  that  such  a  thing  is  possible,  but  so  it  is. 
My  replenished  lamp  burned  brightly,  allowing  me  to  write  up 
my  diary  with  great  facility. 

Jones's  Cape  was  really  one  of  the  finest  places  I  had  seen  in 
the  North,  not  excepting  even  Greenland.  Force's  Sound  is  near- 
ly surrounded  by  magnificent  mountains,  and  is  sheltered  from 
winds  and  heavy  seas  by  a  number  of  islands.  There  is  an  excel- 
lent entrance  for  ships,  and  the  harbors,  I  thought,  might  rival 
any  in  the  civilized  world.  If  a  colony  should  ever  be  planted  in 
those  regions  for  the  purpose  of  Christianizing  the  people,  Jones's 
Cape  presents  many  <^f  the  advantages  desired. 

On  the  following  morning,  August  14th,  I  took  Koojesse  and 
ascended  a  mountain  in  the  roar  of  our  encampment.  The  view 
was  very  extensive,  and  I  could  plainly  see  more  than  fifty  miles 
of  Kingaite  coast,  the  nearest  point  being  distant  some  thirty  miles. 
On  my  way  I  observed  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  stone  I  had 
noticed  upon  Iron  Island,  and  I  also  saw  many  small  pieces  of 
limestone  on  the  very  summit,  about  a  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  , 

I  remained  at  Cape  Jones  until  noon  for  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing a  meridian  observation.  While  making  this  I  was  amused  to 
see  the  jvstonishment  depicted  in  the  countenances  of  the  Innuits 
of  the  settlement  around  me — as  for,  at  least,  as  they  ever  do  ex- 
hibit unusual  interest  in  any  subject. 

At  12  30  P.M.  we  again  set  out  on  our  expedition,  directing 
our  course  westerly  across  the  east  arm  of  the  bay.  The  natives 
assembled  in  large  numbers  to  bid  us  tcr-hou-e-iie,  which  may  be 


374  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

rendered  thus :"  Good-by,  our  friends.  May  you  fare  well."  We 
rowed  for  about  half  an  hour,  when,  finding  the  sea  too  heav}'  for 
our  frail  boat,  we  hoisted  sail  and  steered  direct  to  the  middle  of 
the  island — Nou-yarn.  At  about  2  30  P.M.  we  stopped  at  a  point 
of  the  island,  and  Koodloo  went  ashore,  shortly  returning  with  a 
shoulder-load  of  live  oak  for  fuel,  which  was  clearly  part  of  the 
Traveller  wreck. 

From  Jones's  Cape  we  had  a  hard  and  tedious  passage  across 
the  mouth  of  the  sound,  consuming  two  and  a  half  hours  in  mak- 
ing good  three  miles.  The  wind  freshened  to  a  strong  breeze,  and 
for  an  hour  we  were  in  the  "  suds."  Every  few  minutes  a  "  white- 
cap"  was  sent  with  all  force  into  our  boat,  thoroughly  wetting  us 
and  every  thing.  Tunukderlien  was  kept  constantly  baling,  and 
Kooperueung  tu  iked  his  nuliana  under  the  folds  of  his  oil  jacket 
to  keep  her  fn  m  the  overleaping  waves.  The  sheet  was  not 
made  fast,  but  '  fas  kept  in  the  hands  of  some  of  the  lady  crew, 
ready  at  any  moment  for  the  word — Let  go ! 

The  passage  was  by  no  means  free  from  danger;  but  God  rules 
the  waves,  and  lie  brought  us  safely  over.  A  light  shower  of 
rain  soon  came,  accompanied  by  the  glorious  bow  of  good  prom- 
ise, which  presented  a  vivid  contrast  with  the  dark  moss  covering 
of  the  rocky  mountains  forming  the  background  of  the  picture. 
At  about  3  P.M.  we  reached  Brewster's  Point,*  the  southeastern 
extreme  of  Barrow's  Peninsula,f  where  we  made  our  fifth  en- 
campment. 

That  night,  looking  with  my  spyglass  over  to  the  snow  mount- 
ains of  Kingaite,  I  saw  what  I  at  first  thought  to  be  the  fires  of  a 
volcano.  After  consultation  with  Koojcsse  and  Kooperneung,  I 
concluded  iu  to  be  the  light  of  the  declining  moon  reflected  from 
the  snow.  The  effect  was  strikingly  peculiar,  the  light  being  red, 
but  in  form  like  a  comet's  tail. 

The  next  day,  August  15tfi,  a  head  wind  condemned  the  boat's 
crew  to  a  hard  pull ;  ayd,  as  they  made  slow  progress,!  took  my 
compass  and  tripod,  and  walked  along  the  southern  coast  of  Bar- 
row's Peninsula,  directing  Koojesse  to  come  for  me  when  I  should 
signal  him.     Charley  likewise  had  gone  ahead  with  his  gun  to 

*  I  named  this  point  after  A.  Brewster,  of  Norwich,  Connecticut.  It  is  on  the 
west  side  at  tlie  entrance  to  Peter  Force  Sonne),  nearly  on  a  parallel  with  the  place 
of  fourth  encampment,  ami  is  in  lat.  62°  tn>   N.,  long.  65°  51'  W. 

t  Named  by  mo  after  John  Barrow,  of  London,  England.  It  is  bounded  by  New- 
ton's Fiord,  Peter  Force  Sound,  Frobisiier  Bay,  and  Ilaralen'g  Bay.    (  Vide  Chart.) 


TIN-NE-TOOK-KE-YARN.  875 

hunt  tuktoo.  The  boat  kept  close  in  shore  until  we  came  to 
Hamlen's  Bay,*  which  had  to  be  crossed.  Hem  I  embarked  with 
Charley,  and  with  a  fair  breeze  we  sped  across  r.t  the  rate  of  about 
five  miles  an  hour.  On  the  west  side  of  the  entrance  to  this  bay 
were  some  islands,  between  which  and  the  main  land  was  a  chan- 
nel ;  and,  in  order  to  get  to  the  northward  and  westward  (which, 
being  the  general  trend  of  the  coast  thus  far,  I  had  reason  to  sup- 
pose to  be  probably  its  direction  to  the  head  of  the  bay),  we  must 
pass  througli  this  channel.  We  should  have  done  so  without  de- 
lay but  that  the  ebb  of  the  tide  had  left  it  dry.  Not  being  aware 
of  this,  I  told  Koojcsse  to  go  on.  With  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  he 
said,  "Well,  you  tell  'em  so — we  try."  Accordingly  we  went 
on  until,  I'ounding  an  island  that  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  chan- 
nel which  is  called  by  the  Innuits  Tin-ne-look-ke-yarn  (Low-tide 
Land),  I  saw  we  were  on  the  verge  of  dry  land.  A  rise  and  fall 
of  twenty-five  feet  in  the  tide  made  that  impassable  at  low  water 
which  six  hours  before  was  a  deep  channel. 

Koojesse,  on  seeing  my  surprise,  looked  at  me  with  such  a  mer- 
ry laugh  that  I  could  not  rebuke  him  had  I  been  so  inclined.  We 
turned  the  boat  round,  and  formed  our  sixth  encampment  upon 
Blanchard's  Island.f 

In  the  early  part  of  this  day,  while  yet  close  to  Brewster's  Point, 
and  while  walking  on  the  beach,  I  met  with  remains  of  many  in- 
nuit  habitations  of  former  days,  when  they  used  to  build  them  of 
earth  and  stone.  Bones  of  the  whale,  and  of  all  other  animals 
that  principally  serve  the  Innuits  for  subsistence,  lay  there  in 
abundance,  many  of  them  very  old,'  their  age  probably  number- 
ing hundreds  of  years.  One  shoulder-blade  of  a  whale  measured 
five  feet  along  its  arc,  and  four  feet  radius.  Whale-ribs,  also,  were 
scattered  here  and  there,  one  of  them  being  eight  feet  in  length. 
I  also  noticed  there  several  graves,  but  nothing,  not  even  a  bone, 
within  them.  An  old  drift  oil-cask  was  also  there,  sawn  in  two; 
one  half  was  standing  full  of  water,  the  other  half  was  lying 
down.     I  gathered  up  the  oak  staves  and  heads  for  fuel. 

Next  morning,  Friday,  August  16th,  when  I  awoke,  I  found  the 
tide  ebbing  fixst,  and  it  was  therefore  necessary  to  get  under  way 

*  Named  nftcr  S.  L.  Ilamlcn,  of  Cincinnati,  Oliio.  This  bay  runs  up  almost  iliie 
north,  and  is  five  miles  across  at  its  mouth.  The  centre  of  its  entrance  is  in  hit.  02° 
.-.8'  N.,  lonj!.  00°  10'  W. 

t  So  named  after  George  S.  Blanchard,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Our  sixth  encamp- 
ment was  in  lat.  02°  .'>8'  N.,  and  long.  00°  1 7'  W. 


876  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

at  once.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  we  had  every  thing  on  board, 
and  set  out  for  the  desperate  work  of  running  the  "  mill-race"  of 
waters  pouring  over  the  rocks,  whose  tops  were  then  near  the  sur- 
face. If  we  could  not  succeed  in  the  attempt,  we  must  either  wait 
until  next  tide,  or  make  a  long  detour  outward  around  several 
islands. 

It  was  an  exciting  operation.  Koojesse  stood  on  the  bread- 
cask  that  was  at  the  bow  of  the  boat,  so  that  he  might  indicate 
the  right  passage  among  the  rocks.  Occasionally  we  touched 
some  of  them,  but  a  motion  of  the  boat-hook  in  his  hand  gener- 
ally led  us  right.  There  was  a  fine  breeze  helping  us,  and  we 
also  kept  our  oars  at  work.  Indeed,  it  required  all  the  power  we 
could  muster  to  carry  us  along  against  so  fierce  a  tide.  At  one 
time,  thump,  thump  we  came  upon  the  rocks  at  full  speed,  fairly 
arrested  in  our  progress,  and  experiencing  much  difficulty  in  mov- 
ing forward  again.  But,  favored  by  the  breeze,  we  at  last  got 
through  this  channel,  and  soon  stopped  at  an  island  to  take  our 
much-needed  breakfast.  That  dispatched,  we  again  pushed  on, 
keeping  along  the  coast.  The  land  was  low,  with  iron-looking 
mountains  in  the  background.  But  some  spots  showed  signs  of 
verdure,  and  altogether,  the  day  being  fine,  the  scene  was  charm- 
ing. 

By  evening  we  had  arrived  at  Tongue  Cape,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  entrance  to  Waddell  Bay,*  and  there  made  our  seventh 
encampment.  The  whole  of  the  next  day  was  spent  by  the  male 
Innuits  in  hunting  tuktoo,  and  by  the  women  in  sewing  skins  and 
attending  to  other  domestic  matters.  As  usual,  I  was  occupied 
with  my  observations. 

On  Sunday,  August  18th,  we  left  our  seventh  encampment  and 
proceeded  along  the  coast.  As  we  neared  Opera-Glass  Cape,  a 
point  of  land  on  the  west  side  of  Waddell  Bay,  round  which  we 
had  to  pass,  a  kia  was  observed  approaching;  and  in  a  short  time, 
to  my  great  surprise,  the  old  Innuit  Artarkparu  was  alongside 
of  us. 

This  man  was  the  iather  of  Koojesse's  wife,  and  therefore  the 
meeting  was  additionally  pleasant.     lie  was,  as  may  be  recollect- 
ed, an  invalid,  having  lost  the  free  use  of  his  lower  limbs  by  a  dis 
ease  in  his  thighs ;  }  et  he  was  rarely  idle,  every  day  going  out 
sealing,  ducking,  or  hunting  for  walrus  and  tuktoo.     In  the  win- 

*  Nnmed  after  Willinm  Covoiiti-y  II.  WiuldcU,  of  New  York  City.     Its  cast  side 
(Tongue  Cape)  is  in  lat.  (ja°  1 1'  30",  luul  long.  (HP  18'  W. 


KI-A  MAKING. 


377 


ter  lie  moved  about  by  means  of  sledge  and  dogs,  and  no  Inniiit 
was  ever  more  patient  or  more  successful  than  he.  Artarkparu 
had  come  out  from  a  village  not  far  off,  and  to  that  place  we  di- 
rected the  boat.  We  found  four  tupics  erected  there,  and  many 
fiimiliar  faces  soon  greeted  me.  Annawa  was  among  them,  and 
also  Shevikoo  and  Eshocloo.  The  females  were  busily  occupied 
in  sewing  skins — some  of  which  were  in  an  offensive  condition — 
for  making  a  kia.  A  small  space  was  allotted  to  them  for  this 
purpose,  and  it  was  particularly  interesting  to  watch  their  pro- 
ceedings. The  kia  covering  was  bung  over  a  pole  resting  on  the 
rocks,  every  thing  being  kept  in  a  wet  state  while  the  women 
worked,  using  large  braided-thread  of  white-whale  sinews.  As  I 
stood  gazing  upon  the  scene  before  me,  Annawa's  big  boy  was 
actually  standing  by  his  mother  and  nursing  at  the  breast,  she  all 
the  time  continuing  her  work,  while  old  Artarkparu  hobbled 
about  in  the  foreground  by  the  aid  of  a  staff  in  each  hand. 


INMIIT  HUMMKH  V11.LAUK. 


Venison  and  seal-meat  were  hung  to  dry  on  strings  stretched 
along  the  ridge  of  each  tuple,  as  shown  in  the  above  engraving. 


378  ARCTIC  KESEARCII  FXPEDITION. 

and  provisions  were  clearly  tibundant.  In  tlie  tuple  of  Artiirk- 
paru,  Koojessc  and  Tunukdcrlien  wore  at  home  feasting  on  raw 
venison,  and  with  them  I  was  invited  to  partake  of  the  old  man's 
hospitality.  Before  returning  to  the  boat  1  also  received,  as  a 
present,  a  pocket  full  of  dried  tuktoo  meat,  given  me  by  Annawa. 

After  a  short  stay  and  friendly  adieu,  we  again  departed  on  our 
way;  but  ju.st  then  I  thought  it  possible  that  old  Artarkparu 
might  be  able  to  give  me  some  information.  Accordingly  I  turn- 
ed back,  and,  through  the  aid  of  Koojessc  as  interpreter,  entered 
into  a  conversation  with  him.  "Wo  seated  ourselves  by  his  side, 
and  the  first  question  1  put  to  him  was,  llad  he  ever  seen  coal, 
brick,  or  iron  on  any  of  the  land  near  Oopungnewing?  lie  im- 
mediately answered  in  the  aflii'mativc.  lie  had  seen  coal  and  brick 
a  great  many  times  on  an  island  which  he  called  NiountcUk. 

He  first  saw  them  when  he  was  a  boy. 

He  had  also  seen  hcav}'  pieces  of  iron  on  the  point  of  Oopung- 
newing, next  to  Niountelik. 

"No  iron  there  now,  somebodv  having  carried  it  off." 

1  ^  CD 

"Bricks  and  coals  were  at  Kiountelik." 

1  then  asked  him,  "How  many  years  ago  was  it  when  the  In- 
nuiis  first  saw  these  things?" 

His  reply  was,  "  Am-a-su-ad-lo"  (a  great,  (jvcat  many).  His  fa- 
ther, when  a  boy,  had  seen  theni  there  all  the  same.  Had  heard 
his  father  often  talk  about  them. 

"  Some  of  the  pieces  of  iron  were  very  hcav}',  so  that  it  was  as 
much  as  the  strongest  Innuit  could  do  to  lift  them." 

"  Had  often  made  trials  of  strength,  in  competition  with  other 
Innuitf,  in  lifting.  It  was  quite  a  practice  with  the  young  men 
to  see  who  was  the  strongest  in  lifting  the  '■hcary  ■stout'  "  (Innuits 
so  call  the  iron). 

"  On  the  point  of  another  island  near  by,  an  co-mi-ark-chu-a 
(ship)  was  once  built  by  kodlunas  (white  men)  a  great  many, 
many  years  ago — so  the  Innuits  of  a  great  many  years  ago  had 
said.'" 

I  took  from  the  boat  a  little  bag  which  contained  .some  of  the 
coal  that  I  had  gathered  up  with  my  own  hands  at  Niountelik, 
and  asked  him  if  it  was  like  that  he  had  seen. 

He  said,  "All  the  same." 

I  then  asked  him  "where  it  came  from." 

His  reply  was,  "  He  supposed  from  England,  for  lie  had  .seen  the 
same  kind  on  English  whaling  ve.s.scls  in  Northumberland  Inlet." 


MORE  NEWS  OF  THE  FKOBISIIER  RELICS.  881 

This  information  I  obtained  from  the  del  man ;  and  I  could 
not  help  noticing  how  closely  it  corresponded  with,  that  given  to 
me  by  Ookijoxy  Ninoo  some  months  before. 

The  whole  interview  was  particularly  interesting.  I  felt  as  if 
suddenly  taken  back  into  ages  that  were  past ;  and  my  heart  truly 
rejoiced  as  I  sat  upon  the  rock  and  listened  to  what  the  old  man 
said  of  these  undoubted  Frobisher  relics. 

After  this  interview  with  Artarkparu,  we  started  at  2  45  V.M. 
along  the  coast,  closely  examining  its  features,  and  noting  down 
every  thing  of  importance  which  we  saw.  The  land  was  bold  and 
high,  with  much  of  the  iron-rust-look  about  it.  Scarcely  any  veg- 
etation was  perceptible.  Numerous  islands  bordered  the  coast; 
and,  as  I  looked  across  the  outer  waters,  it  seemed  as  if  a  complete 
chain  stretched  across  the  bay  to  Kingaitc.     ' 

On  reaching  the  spot  which  we  selected  for  our  eighth  encamp- 
ment— Cape  Stevens* — I  left  my  crew  to  unload  the  boat  and 
erect  tuples,  while  I  ascended  a  mountain  that  flanked  us.  On 
the  top  I  found  numerous  shells  and  fossils,  some  of  which  I 
brought  away.  On  descending  I  took  the  opposite  or  northeast 
side,  next  a  bight  that  made  up  into  the  land.  This  side  of  the 
mountain  was  almost  perpendicular.  The  winter  forces  of  the 
North  had  thrown  down  to  the  base  a  mass  of  stone,  which  en- 
abled mc  to  pass  upon  a  kind  of  causeway  to  the  foot  of  another 
mount  toward  the  tuples,  There  I  could  not  help  pausing  and 
glancing  around  in  wondering  awe.  I  can  not  put  on  paper  the 
feelings  which  struggled  within  me  as  I  made  my  way  over  that 
debris,  and  looked  above  and  around  me.  God  built  the  mount- 
ains, and  He  tumbleth  them  down  again  at  His  will!  Overhead 
was  hanging  the  whole  side  of  a  mountain,  ready,  as  it  seemed,  at 
any  moment,  and  by  the  snap  of  one's  finger,  to  foil !  I  felt  as  if 
obliged  to  take  light  and  gentle  steps.  I  breathed  softly ;  and,  as 
I  looked  and  looked  again,  I  praised  God  for  all  Ilis  mighty 
works. 

I  ought  to  say  that,  on  a  better  view  of  this  mountain,  I  per- 
ceived on  its  perpendicular  side  large  caverns,  with  huge  project- 
ing rocks  hanging  directly  over  them. 

I  returned  to  the  tuples ;  and  that  night,  as  I  lay  on  my  back 
by  our  camp-fire,  viewing  the  glorious  heavens,  I  beheld  the  au- 
rora in  all  its  wondrous  beauty.     In  the  vicinity  of  the  moon, 

*  Nnmetl  by  mc  after  Joliii  A.  Stevens,  Ji\,  of  New  York  City.  Cni)0  Stevens  is  iu 
lilt.  G9^  21'  N.,  and  long.  67°  10'  W. 


882 


AUCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


where  the  aurora  was  dancing  and  racing  to  and  fro,  it  was 
strangely  grand.  But  the  most  remarkable  phcnomcnoa  of  the 
kind  1  ever  witnessed  was  the  peculiar  movement  of  the  clouds 
overhead.  For  some  length  of  time  they  moved  by  "  hitches," 
pa.ssing  with  the  wind  slowly,  and  then  stopping  for  a  few  seconds. 
I  called  the  attention  of  the  Innuits  to  it,  and  they  noticed  this  a.s 
something  tliey  had  never  seen  before.  It  seemed  as  if  the  clouds 
were  battling  with  an  unseen  enemy,  but  that  the  former  had  the 
greater  power,  and  forced  their  way  by  steps  along  the  vault  above. 
Those  clouds  were  white,  and  of  the  kind  classified  as  cumulus.  I 
thought  it  a  very  strange  matter,  and,  according  to  my  idea,  the 
aurora  had  something  to  do  with  it 


TD-noK-uEB-Lieii  (wife  of  Kao-je)i-se). 


CONTINUE  THE  VOYAGE.  883 


CIIAPTKR  XXIir. 

Leave  eighth  Encampment. — Seals. — Meeting  Innuits. — Mnl<e  ninth  Encttnii)ment 
on  Hue's  Point. — A  Scnl-fenst. — lleiniicer   Moss  al)nndunt. — More  tniilitionni 

•  History. — Start  on  Voyage  again. — A  two-mile  Walli  over  Uoeks. — Jack  the 
Angcko. — Ankooting  Tweroonp. — The  two  Hoats  nnil  two  Kias. — Picturesque 
appearance  of  tlic  Women  Rowers. — The  Flag  of  the  Free. — Tenth  Encampment. 
— Icel)ergs  on  the  Rocks. — Renew  the  Voyage. -^Visit  the  Island  Frobishcr's  Fur- 
thest.—  The  great  Gateway.  —  President's  Scat.  —  Beauiiful  and  warm  Day. — 
Fine  Scenery. — Make  eleventh  Encampment. — Morning  Walk. — Abundance  of 
Game. — Seals  and  Reindeer  in  abundance. — The  Roar  of  a  Cataract. — Watern 
alive  with  Salmon. — Discover  the  Termination  of  Frobisher  Bay.- -Enter  nn  Es- 
tuary.— Make  Landing. — A  Lcmlng. — Tweroong  sketches  Kingaite  Coast. — Rein- 
deer Skins  for  Clothing. — Luxuriant  Fields. — Reindeer  Tallow  good. — A  iwdes- 
trian  Excursion. — Innuit  Monument. — Ancient  Dwellings, — Sylvia  Grinnell  River. 
— A  I'ack  of  Wolves. — Glories  of  the  calm  clear  Night. — Aurora  again. — A  Land 
abounding  with  Reindeer. — Blueberries. — Method  of  taking  Salmon. — Bow  and 
Arrows. 

On  the  following  morning,  Monday,  August  lOtli,  1861,  wc 
were  in  readiness  to  leave  our  eighth  encampment,  and  pursue 
our  journey.  Starting  at  10  15,  we  crossed  the  mouth  of  a  deep 
bay,  across  which,  and  about  ten  miles  up  from  our  course,  lies 
a  long  island,  called  by  the  natives  Ki-ki-tuk-ju-a.  Koojesse  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  been  to  that "  long  island,"  and  that  the 
bay  extended  a  considerable  distance  beyond.  The  shores  of  this 
bay  I  found  to  trend  about  N.N.W.  Koojesse  also  said  that  it 
was  one  day's  journey  to  the  head  of  it  from  the  island.  From 
this,  and  other  data  which  he  furnished,  I  concluded,  and  so  re- 
corded it  in  my  journal  at  the  time,  that  the  bay  is  from  twenty 
to  twenty-five  miles  in  extent.* 

Unfortunately  for  my  desire  to  get  on,  a  number  of  seals  were 
seen,  and  my  crew  were  soon  engaged  in  pursuit.  This  delayed 
us  some  time ;  and  when  another  similar  stoppage  took  place,  I  felt 
that  it  was  hopeless  to  think  of  going  far  that  day,  and  according- 
ly landed,  while  the  Innuits  followed  what  they  supposed  to  be 

*  I  effected  a  complete  exploration  of  this  bay  and  the  island  named  on  a  sledge- 
journey  which  I  made  in  the  spring  of  1862.  This,  however,  will  come  in  its  p)r>i)er 
l)laco  in  the  sequel  of  my  narrative. 


384  ARCTIC  EESEARCU  EXPEDITION. 

seals,  but  which,  as  will  shortly  be  seen,  were  quite  another  sort 
of  game. 

I  walked  among  gigantic  old  rocks,  well  marked  by  the  hand 
of  Time,  and  then  wandered  away  up  the  mountains.  There  I 
came  across  an  Innuit  grave.  It  was  simply  a  number  of  stones 
piled  up  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  just  room  enough  for  the  dead 
body  without  a  stone  touching  it.  All  the  stones  were  covered 
with  the  moss  of  generations.  During  my  walk  a  storm  of  wind 
and  raiij  came  on,  and  compelled  me  to  take  shelter  under  the  Ice 
of  a  friendly  ridge  of  rocks.  There  I  could  watcli  Koojegsc  and 
his  company  in  the  boat  advancing  toward  what  was  thought 
an  ookgook  and  many  smaller  seals.  All  at  once  what  had 
seemed  to  be  the  ookgook  commenced  moving,  and  so  likewise 
did  the  smaller  seals.  A  slight  lurn  of  the  supposed  game  sud- 
denly gave  to  all  a  difl'erent  appearance.  I  then  jierceived  a  boat, 
with  black  gunwales,  filled  with  Innuit  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, and  also  kias  on  each  side  of  the  boat.  Seeing  this,  Koo- 
Jesse  pulled  in  for  me,  and  we  started  together  for  the  strangers. 
A  short  time,  however,  ju'oved  them  to  be  friends.  The  large 
boat  contained  "Miner,"  his  wife  Tweroong,To-loo-ka-ah,his  wife 
Koo-muk  (louse),  the  woman  Puto,  and  several  others  whom  I 
knew.  They  were  spending  the  summer  up  there  deer-hunting, 
and  had  been  very  successful.  Soon  after  joining  them  we  all 
disembarked  in  a  snug  little  harbor,  and  erected  our  tents  in  com- 
pany on  Rae's  Point,*  which  is  close  by  an  island  called  by  the 
natives  Ko-ook-too-ad-loo. 

The  rain  was  pouring  down  when  we  landed,  and  the  bustle 
that  followed  reminded"  me  of  similar  activity  on  the  steam-boat 
piers  at  home.  As  fast  as  things  were  taken  out  of  the  boats, 
such  as  had  to  be  kept  dry  were  placed  under  the  shelving  of 
rocks  until  the  tuples  were  up.  Then,  our  encampment  formed, 
all  parties  had  leisure  to  greet  each  other,  which  we  did  most 
warmly. 

Tweroong  was  very  ill,  and  appeared  to  me  not  far  from  her 
death.  Iler  uniform  kindness  to  me  wherever  I  liad  met  her 
made  her  condition  a  source  of  sadness  to  me.  I  could  only  ex- 
press my  sympathy,  and  furnish  her  with  a  few  civilized  com- 
forts brouglit  with  me.  She  was  the  mother  of  Kooperneung, 
one. of  my  crew,  by  her  first  husband,  then  deceased. 

*  Named  by  the  author  after  Dr.  Jolin  Rne,  the  woll-knnwn  English  arctic  explorer. 
Rne's  Point,  place  of  our  ninth  encampment,  is  in  hit.  C3°  20'  N.,  long,  C7°  33'  W. 


INNUIT  TRADITIONS.  385 

A  great  feast  was  made  that  evening  upon  the  rocks.  A  cap- 
tured ookgook  was  dissected  by  four  carvers,  who  proved  them- 
selves, as  all  Innuits  are,  skillful  anatomists.  Indeed,  as  I  have 
before  said,  there  is  not  a  bone  or  fragment  of  a  bone  picked  up 
but  the  Innuits  can  tell  to  what  animal  it  belonged.  In  the  even- 
ing I  also  took  a  walk  about  the  neighborhood,  and  was  aston- 
ished to  see  such  an  abundance  of  reindeer  moss.  The  ground 
near  our  tents,  was  literally  white  with  it,  and  I  noticed  many 
tuktoo  tracks. 

Ouretay  at  this  encampment  continued  over  the  next  day,  and 
I  took  the  opportunity  of  questioning  Tweroong,  who  was  said  to 
know  much  about  the  traditions  of  her  people,  as  to  any  knowl- 
edge sne  might  possess  concerning  the  coal,  brick,  and  iron  at 
Niountelik.  Koojesse  was  my  interpreter,  and  through  him  I 
gained  the  following  information  : 

Tweroong  had  frequently  seen  the  coal  there,  and  likewise  heavy 
pieces  of  stone  (iron)  on  an  island  close  by.  She  had  often  heard 
the  oldest  Innuits  speak  of  them.  The  coal  and  other  things 
were  there  long  before  she  was  born.  She  had  seen  Innuits  with 
pieces  of  brick  tliat  came  from  there.  The  pieces  of  brick  were 
used  for  brightening  the  women's  hair-rings  and  the  brass  orna- 
ments worn  on  their  heads.  ^ 

She  said  old  Innuits  related  that  very  mamj  years  ago  a  boat, 
or  small  ship,  was  built  by  a  few  white  men  on  a  little  island  near 
Niountelik. 

I  showed  her  the  coal  I  had  brought  with  me  from  Niountelik, 
and  she  recognized  it  directly  as  some  like  that  she  had  seen. 

Owing  to  the  condition  of  my  own  boat,  I  was  anxious  to  have 
the  company  of  another  craft  in  my  voyage  up  the  bay.  I  ac- 
cordingly effected  an  arrangement  with  tlie  Innuit  "Miner"  and 
his  party  to  keep  along  with  mc;  and  on  the  following  day,  Au- 
gust 21st,  at  9  A.M.,  we  all  set  out  from  the  encampment  to  pur- 
sue our  journey. 

While  Koojesse  and  my  crew  were  loading  the  boat,!  ascended 
a  moun|(iin  close  by,  and,  after  as  good  a  look  around  as  the  fog- 
gy weather  would  allow,  I  began  to  descend  by  another  path. 
But  I  soon  found  that  the  way  I  had  chosen  was  impracticable. 
The  mountain-side  was  one  vast  rock,  roof-like,  and  too  steep  for 
human  feet.  Finally,  after  a  long,  hard  tug  down  hill,  up  hill, 
and  along  craggy  rocks,  I  gained  the  beach,  <^nd  hailed  the  boat, 
which  took  me  on  board  after  a  walk  of  two  miles. 

r.  B 


386  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

We  made  what  speed  we  could  to  the  westward  and  northward, 
having  to  use  the  oars,  the  wind  being  right  ahead.  In  an  hour's 
time  we  ame  to  an  island,  where  the  other  boat  was  stopping  a 
while.  Here  I  saw  "  Jack,"  the  angeko,  performing  the  ceremony 
of  ankooting  over  poor  sick  Tweroong.  The  woman  was  reclin- 
ing on  some  tuktoo  furs  in  the  boat's  bow,  while  Jack  was  seated 
on  the  tidc-wct  rocks,  making  loud  exclamations  on  her  behalf. 
It  is  very  strange  what  faith  these  people  place  in  such  incanta- 
tions. I  never  saw  the  ceremony  otherwise  than  devoutly  attend- 
ed to.  I  then  took  my  usual  exploring  walk  upon  the  island,  see- 
ing the  bones  of  a  huge  whale,  portions  of  which  were  covered 
with  moss,  and  the  rest  bleached  to  a  pure  white,  but  all  a^heaVy 
as  stone. 

When  we  again  started,  the  sight  of  the  two  boats  and  two  kias 
pulling  side  by  side  was  particularly  interesting.  There  were 
fourteen  souls  on  board  the  other  boat,  men,  women,  and  children, 
the  women  pulling  at  the  oais ;  in  each  of  the  two  kias  was  also 
an  Innuit  maii.  The  raven  hair  of  the  females  hanging  loosely 
about  the  head  and  face — the  flashing  ornameiits  of  brass  on  their 
heads — their  native  dress — their  methodical  rock  to  and  fro  as 
they  propelled  the  boat  along,  formed,  indeed,  a  striking  picture. 
All  were  abreast,  the  two  boats  and  the  two  kias,  and  pulling  in 
friendly  competition.  "  [Miner"  had  a  flag  of  cheeked  red,  white, 
and  black  at  the  bow  of  his  boat,  and  the  glorious  ensign  of  the 
United  States  was  streaming  to  the  breeze  at  the  bow  of  mine. 
To  inc  the  scene  was  one  of  indescribable  interest.  In  that  re- 
gion— never  before  visited  by  white  man,  cxcej)t  when  Frobisher, 
three  centuries  ago,  set  foot  thei'c — it  was  i)erfectly  novel  in  its 
features,  and  I  was  truly  thankful  that  I  had  been  blessed  witli 
the  privilege  of  raising  the  "Flag  of  the  Free"  in  that  strange 
land. 

Our  progress  during  the  day  was  not  very  great,  owing  to  the 
frequent  stoppages  of  my  Innuit  cn^w.  Let  me  be  ever  so  anxious 
to  get  on,  or  to  do  any  thing  in  the  way  of  making  observations, 
if  a  .seal  popped  up  his  head,  or  any  thing  ap])eared  in  tfac  shape 
of  game,  away  they  would  go  in  chase,  utterly  regardless  of  my 
wants  or  wishes.  They  meant  no  ill ;  but  the  Innuits  are  like 
eagles — untamable. 

Before  reaching  our  tenth  encampment*  that  night,  which  was 

*  Tn  li\t.  0,1°  32'  N.,  long.  07°  .'51'  W.,  hy  a  small  cove  one  mile  north  of  tlie  iiii/ioiiaii 
island  I  liuvo  numod  "  Fuouisiiek's  Fauthlst,"  called  by  the  Innuits  Ki-ki-tuk-ju-a. 


FROBISIIER'S  FAUTIIEST. 


387 


similar  to  tbe  previous  one,  we  passed  numerous  small  bergs,  left 
high  and  dry  on  the  rocks  near  the  coast  by  the  low  spring-tide, 
;is  seen  in  the  accompanying  engraving. 


IcrilKKCiH    (IN    TMK   UillKS.  — OUKAT    KAIl 


On  the  Ibllowiiig  morning,  August  22d,  we  agaii'  set  out,  mak- 
ing our  way  among  numerous  islands,  and  along  land  exhibiting 
luxuriant  verdure.  Miner's  boat  and  company  proceeded  on  up 
the  bay,  while  Charley  and  I'were  set  ashore  on  the  north  side  of 
the  island  "Frobisher's  Farthest,"  leaving  instructions  with  the 
rest  of  the  crew  that  we  would  make  our  way  in  two  or  three 
hours  northerly  and  westerly  to  the  upper  end  of  the  isftnd,  where 
we  would  get  aboard.  The  place  where  we  landed  was  very  steep, 
and  the  ascent  was  laborious.     I  had  belted  to  my  side  my  five- 


388  ARCTIC  KESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

pound  chronometer,  and  also  a  pocket  sextant.  In  my  band  I 
carried  a  compass  tripod  and  azimuth  compass.  Charley  bad  bis 
double-barreled  gun,  ready  for  rabbits  or  any  other  game. 

After  getting  to  the  summit  the  view  was  very  extensive.  To 
the  N.W.  the  appearance  was  as  if  the  bay  continued  on  between 
two  headlands,  one  the  termination  of  the  ridge  of  mountains 
on  the  Kingaite,  or  Mda  Incognita  side,  and  the  other  the  term- 
ination of  the  ridge  running  on  the  north  side  of  Frobisher  Bay. 
The  coast  of  Kingaite  was  in  full  view,  from  the  "  Great  Gate- 
way"* down  to  the  •'  President's  Seat,"f  a  distance  of  one  hund- 
red nautical  miles.  A  line  of  islands  —  their  number  legion  — 
shoot  down  from  "  Frobishor's  Farthest"  to  the  Kingaite  coast. 

At  noon  and  afterward  the  weather  was  exceedingly  beautiful, 
and  the  water  as  smooth  as  a  mirror.  Kingaite  side  was  showing 
itself  in  varying  tints  of  blue,  its  even  mountain  range  covered 
with  snow,  throwing  a  distinct  shadow  across  the  surface  of  the 
bay.  The  sun  was  warm,  and  yet  casting  a  subdued  light  on  all 
around.  The  rocks  and  mountains  upon  our  right  were  bare,  and 
of  a  red  hue,  while  far  to  the  southeast  were  the  eternal  snows  of 
the  Grinnell  glacier. 

We  encamped,:}:  as  before,  among  the  friendly  Innuits  who  had 
accompanied  us,  and  on  the  next  morning  (August  23d),  at  an 
early  hour,  I  went  by  myself  for  a  walk  among  the  hills.  Mount- 
ains near  the  coast  on  that  side  of  the  bay  had  disappeared,  the 
land  being  comparatively  low  and  covered  with  verdure.  I  was 
delighted  to  find  this  such  a  beautiful  country  j  the  waters  of  the 
bay  were  teeming  with  animal  life,  and  I  thought  that  here  was 
indeed  the  place  to  found  a  colony,  if  any  one  should  ever  renew 
the  attempt  in  which  Frobisher  failed. 

Before  I  came  back  from  my  walk  I  perceived  the  camp-fires 
sending  up  their  clouds  of  smoke,  and  I  was  soon  after  partak- 
ing of  a  hearty  breakfast,  cooked  and  served  in  Innuit  fashion. 
Abundance  was  now  the  rule.  Seals  and  blubber  were  so  plenti- 
ful that  quantities  were  left  behind  at  our  encampment.  Even 
whole  seals,  with  the  exception  of  the  skins,  were  frequently 

*  Tlio  opening  between  the  two  lieadinnds  alliuk'il  to  above,  wliicli  are  about  ten 
miles  to  tlic  noi'tliwest  of  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Frobisher,  I  named  the  "Great 
Gatkway." 

t  Tlie  mqjt  eonspicnoiis  mountain  on  the  coast  of  Frobislier  Hay  I  named  Presi- 
dent's Seat,  after  the  cliief  executive  oflRcs-r  of  tlie  United  States  government.  Pres- 
ident's Seat  is  in  lat.  02°  .3!t'  N.,  long.  (5(i°  40'  W. 

X  Our  eleventh  eneaniimient  was  in  Int.  (ilP  38'  N.,  long.  OS"  10'  W. 


*  • 


HEAD  OF  FROBISHER  J3AY.        *  39I 

abandoned.  Thus  these  children  of  the  icy  North  live — one  day 
starving,  and  the  next  having  so  muca  Tood  that  they  cure  not  to 
carry  it  away. 

We  started  at  10  A.M.,  and  passed  in  sight  of  more  low  land, 
some  of  which  was  covered  with  grass.  Sep-ls  and  ducks  were  so 
numerous  that  it  was  almost  an  incessant  hunt — more  from  habit, 
on  the  part  of  the  natives,  than  from  necessity.  The  signs  of 
reindeer  being  in  the  neighborhood  were  such  that  the  males  ot 
my  boat's  crew  landed  to  seek  them.  Some  of  the  Innuits  of  the 
other  boat  had  done  the  same,  and  frequent  reports  of  fire-arms 
gave  evidence  that  the  game  was  in  view.  Presently  Koojessc 
returned,  having  killed  one  of  the  largest  of  the  deer,  and  aftei' 
some  trouble  we  got  some  portions  of  it  on  board — saddle,  skin, 
hoofs,  horns,  and  skull.  My  boat  soon  after  carried  at  her  bow 
not  only  the  American  flag,  but  also  the  noble  antlers  of  the  deer. 
I  felt  at  home,  with  the  flag  of  my  country  as  my  companion  and 
inspir'ng  theme. 

Eany  in  the  day,  before  the  shooting  of  the  reindeer,  I  heard 
what  seemed  to  be  the  roar  of  a  cataract,  and  perceived  that  we 
must  be  approaching  some  large  river.  Presently  I  was  astonish- 
ed by  Suzhi  saying  to  me,  "  Tar-ri-o  nar-me'^  (this  is  not  soa-wa- 
ter).  She  then  took  a  tin  cup,  reached  over  the  boat'|||pide,  dip- 
ped up  some  of  the  water,  and  gave  it  to  me,  after  first  drinking 
some  herself,  to  show  me  that  it  was  good.  I  drank,  and  found  it 
quite  fresh.  It  was  clear  that  the  river  was  of  considerable  size, 
or  it  could  not  throw  out  such  a  volume  of  fresh  water  to  a  con- 
siderable distance  from  its  mouth  against  a  tide  coming  in. 

After  a  while  we  came  to  an  estuary  where  the  waters  were 
alive  with  salmon.  My  Innuit  crew  were  in  ecstasies,  and  I  too 
was  greatly  rejoiced. 

On  a  point  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  this  fine  river  we  pitched 
our  tents,*  and  away  went  the  men  for  another  hunt.  They  were 
out  all  night,  and  on  the  next  morning,  August  2-l:th,  returned 
with  two  more  deer.  This,  with  what  had  been  shot  on  the  pre- 
vious day,  made  our  list  of  game  four  reindeer,  besides  several 
seals  and  sea-birds.  We  might  have  had  more,  but  the  Innuits 
were  now  indifferent  to  every  thing  but  the  larger  sort. 

*  Our  twelfth  encnmpmont  wns  in  Int.  C,3°  43'  .^0",  long.  08°  2r>'.  It  wns  on  the 
west  side  of  Sylvia  Grinncll  River,  on  a  narrow  strip  of  land  called  Tu-mi-zlioon,  the 
south  extreme  of  which  is  Atj-k-e-toon,  which  I  named  Tvler  Davidson  Point,  after 
Tyl'or  Davidson,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


392  *  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXrEUlTION. 

While  at  this,  our  twelfth  encampment,  there  was  quite  an  ex- 
citement occasioned  among  the  Innuits  by  chasing  a  "  rat."  There 
they  were,  when  I  went  out  of  my  tent,  with  clubs  and  stones, 
ready  for  battle  with  the  little  animal.  But  lo  I  in  a  few  moments 
the  rat  proved  to  be  a  leming — an  arctic  mouse.  It  was  hunt- 
ed out  of  its  hiding-place  and^ speedily  killed.  Shortly  after  an- 
other one  was  seen,  chased,  and  killed  in  like  manner.  Both  of 
them  had  very  fine  fur,  and  two  of  the  Innuit  women  skinned  the 
pretty  little  animals  for*  me.  I  asked  Tweroong  if  her  people 
ever  ate  such  creatures.  With  a  very  wry  face,  she  replied  in 
broken  English,  '^  iSmallei/^^  (little,  or  seldgm). 

While  we  staid  here,  Tweroong  employed  herself  in  my  tu- 
ple drawing,  with  remarkable  skill,  a  rough  outline  of  Frobisher 
Bay,  Resolution  Island,  and  other  islands  about  it,  and  the  north 
shore  of  Hudson's  Strait.  Too-loo-ka-ah  also  sketched  the  coast 
above  and  below  Sekoselar.  Every  half  minute  he  would  punch 
me  with  a  pencil  I  had  given  him,  so  that  I  might  pay  atten- 
tion to  the  Innuit  names  of  places.  As  soon  as  he  had  sketched 
an  island,  bay,  or  capo,  he  would  stop,  and  wait  until  I  had  cor- 
rectly written  down  the  name.  At  first  he  was  very  loth  to  make 
the  attempt  at  drawing  a  map,  but  the  inducement  I  held  out — 
some  tohicco — succeeded,  and,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  he  put 
pencil  to  paper.  His  sketch  was  really  good,  and  I  have  pre- 
served it,  together  with  Tweroong's,  to  the  present  time. 

The  whole  of  this  day,  August  2-ith,  and  the  following  day, 
were  passed  at  the  same  encampment.  All  tlic  Innuit  men  went 
out  hunting,  and  killed  an  abundance  of  game,  now  valued  not 
for  food,  of  which  there  was  plenty,  but  for  the  skins,  of  which 
there  was  very  soon  quite  a  large  stock  on  hand.  The  women 
were  employed  in  dressing  these  skins,*  and  in  such  other  work 
as  always  fell  to  their  lot.  I  was  engaged  in  my  observations 
and  in  making  notes.  The  weather  was  delightful,  and  the  scen- 
ery around  fine.  But  as  I  am  now  writing  of  that  period  when  I 
was  able  to  determine  the  question  as  to  a  Frobisher  "  Strait"  or 
Bay,  I  will  copy  my  diary  as  written  on  the  spot. 

^^ August  2i)th,  1861,3  30  A.M.  Another  and  another  is  added 
to  the  number  of  beautiful  days  we've  had  since  starting  on  this 
expedition.     Can  it  be  that  s'  eh  fine  weather  is  here  generally 

*  The  skins  of  tlie  reindeer  kHIcd  in  j  I'piist  nnd  September  are  valued  nlwve  oth- 
ers, for  thp  reason  that  winter  dresses  can  be  made  only  of  them.  At  the  time  men- 
tioned they  arc  covered  with  long,  thick,  and  firmly-set  hair. 


LAND  OF  TLENTY.  393 

prevailing,  -wlnle  bad  weather  every  whore  else  north  is  the  rul- 
ing characteristic  ? 

"  This  certainly  is  a  fact,  that  here,  at  the  head  of  Frobishcr 
Bay,  a  milder  climate  prevails  than  at  I'ield  Bay  and  elsewhercf 
or  the  luxuriant  vegetation  that  is  around  here  could  not  be. 
The  grass  plain,  the  grass-clothed  hills,  are  abundant  proof  of 
this.  I  never  saw  in  the  States,  unless  the  exception  be  of  the 
prairies  of  the  West,  more  luxuriant  grasses  on  uncultivated  lands 
than  are  here  around,  under  me.  There  is  no  mistake  in  this 
statement,  that  pasture-land  here,  fo.-  stock,  can  not  be  excelled  by 
any  any  .where,  unless  it  be  cult' vated,  or  found,  as  already  ex- 
cepted, in  tlie  great  West.* 

"How  is  it  with  the  land  animals  here?  They  are  fot — 'fat 
as  butter.'  The  paunch  of  the  reindeer  killed  by  Koojcssc  was 
filled  to  its  utmost  capacity  with  grasses,  mosses,  and  leaves  of  the 
various  plants  that  abound  here.  The  animal  was  very  fat,  his 
rump  lined  with  tood-noo  (reindeer  tallow),  which  goes  much  bet- 
tor with  me  than  butter.  Superior  indeed  is  it,  as  sweet,  golden 
butter  is  to  lard.  The  venison  is  very  tender,  almost  falling  to 
pieces  as  you  attempt  to  lift  a  steak  by  its  edge.  So  it  is  with  all 
the  tuktoo  that  have  as  yet  been  killed  hero.  Rabbits  are  in  fine 
condition.  Not  only  are  they  so  now,  but  they  must  be  nearly  in 
as  good  order  here  in  winter,  for  God  hath  given  them  the  means 
to  make  their  way  through  the  garb  of  white,  with  which  lie 
clothes  the  earth  here,  for  their  subsistence. 

"  Koodloo  returned  this  morning  with  the  skins  and  toodnoo 
of  three  reindeer,  which  he  has  killed  since  his  leaving  the  boat 
on  Friday  noon.  In  all,  our  party  of  hunters  have  killed  eleven 
reindeer,  but  very  little  of  the  venison  has  been  saved— simply 
the  skins  and  toodnoo.  *  *  *  This  afternoon  the  wife  of  Jack 
has  been  ankooting  sick  Tweroong.  The  sun -set  to-night  fine.  I 
never  saw  more  beautiful  days  and  nights  than  here  —  the  sky 
with  all  the  mellow  tints  that  a  poet  could  conceive.  The  moon 
and  aurora  now  make  the  nights  glorious. 

^^  Monday,  August  26th.  This  morning  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen. 
Puto  visited  me,  the  kodluna  infant  at  her  back.    I  made  her 

*  To  a  person  goinR  to  the  arctic  repions  diiv nt  from  the  pasture-lnnd  of  the  Mid- 
dle Stiites,  tliis  ])nssnKe  of  my  diary  would  naturally  seem  too  strong ;  but*  when  one 
has  been  for  a  year  continunliy  among  ice,  snow,  and  rugged  rocks,  as  was  the  case 
with  mo,  the  sight  of  a  grassy  plain  and  grecn-clud  hills  could  hardly  fail  to  startle 
him  into  enthusiastic  expression. 


394  ^ARCTIC  RESEAUCH  EXl'EDITION. 

some  littlo  presents — pipe,  beads,  file,  and  knife,  and  a  small  piece 
of  one  of  the  adjuncts  of  civilization — soap.  Somehow  I  thought 
it  i^ossible  tliat  1  had  made  an  error  of  one  day  in  keeping  run  of 
■the  days  of  the  month,  but  the  lunar  and  solar  distances  of  yester- 
day have  satisfied  mo  that  I  was  correct.  I  started  on  a  w.alk  up 
the  hills.  I  came  to  an  Iimuit  monument,  and  many  relics  of 
former  inhabitants — three  earth  excavations,  made  when  the  In- 
nuits  built  their  houses  in  the  ground.  I  now  see  a  company  of 
eight  wolves  across  the  river,  howling  and  running  around  the 
rotks — howling  just  like  the  lunuit  dogs.  Now  beside  a  noble 
river.  Its  waters  are  pure  as  crystal.  From  this  river  I  have 
taken  a  draught  on  eating  by  its  banks  American,  cheese  and 
American  bread.  Tho  American  Hag  Hoats  Jlainttuif/Ii/  over  it 
as  the  music  of  its  waters  seems  to  be  'Yankee  Doodle.'  I  see 
not  why  this  river  should  not  have  an  American  name.  Its  wa- 
tei-s  are  an  emblem  of  purity.  I  know  of  no  fitter  name  to  bestow 
upon  it  than  that  of  the  daughter  of  my  generous,  esteemed  friend, 
Henry  Grinncll.  I  therefore,  with  the  fiag  of  my  country  in  one 
hand,  my  other  in  the  limpid  stream, denominate  it  'Sylvia  Grin- 
ncll Eiver.' 

"For  the  first  half  mile  from  the  sea  proper  it  runs  quietly. 
The  next  quarter  of  a  mile  it  falls  perhajis  fifteen  feet,  running 
violently  over  rocks.  The  next  mile  up  it  is  on  a  level ;  then 
come  falls  again  of  ten  feet  in  one  fifth  of  a  mile ;  and  thence  (uj) 
again)  its  course  is  meandering  through  low  level  land.  From 
the  appearance  of  its  banks,  there  arc  times  when  the  stream  is 
five  times  the  size  of  the  present.  Probably  in  July  this  annu- 
ally occurs.  The  banks  are  of  boulders  the  first  two  miles  up ; 
thence,  in  some  cases,  boulders  and  grass.  Two  miles  up  from 
where  it  enters  the  sea,  on  the  east  side,  is  the  neck  of  a  plain, 
which  grows  wider  and  wider  as  it  extends  back.  It  looks  from 
the  point  where  I  am  as  if  it  were  of  scores  and  scores  of  acres. 
Thence,  on  the  cast  side,  as  fiir  as  I  can  see,  there  is  a  ridge  of 
mountains.  On  the  west  side  of  the  river,  a  plain  of  a  quarter  to 
half  a  mile  wide.  This  is  a  great  salmon  river,  and  .so  known  in 
this  country  among  the  Innuits.  At  our  encampment  I  jiicked 
up  the  vertebra?  of  a  salmon,  the  same  measuring  twenty-one 
inches,  and  a  pi'     ■  of  the  tail  gone  at  that. 

"On  returning  from  my  ramble  this  afternoon  up  Sylvia  Grin- 
ncll River,  saw  the  wolves  again  on  the  other  side.  They  have 
been  howling  and  barking — Innuit  dog-like  —  all  day.    I  hear 


HOT  SUN.— BLUEBERRIES.  395 

them  now  filling  the  air  with  their  noise,  making  a  pandemonium 
of  this  beautiful  place.  I  now  await  the  return  of  Koojosse, 
Kooperneung,  and  Koodloo,  when  I  hope  to  have  them  accom- 
pany me  with  the  boat  into  every  bay  and  to  every  island  in 
these  head-waters  of  the  heretofore  called  'Frobisher  Strait.' 

"  The  hunting-party  has  not  yet  returned ;  possibly  it  may  con- 
tiftue  absent  a  week.  When  these  Innuits  go  out  in  this  way 
they  make  no  preparations,  carry  no  tupic  or  extra  clothing  with 
them.  The  nights  now  are  indeed  cold ;  near  and  at  the  middle 
of  the  day,  and  for  four  hours  after,  the  sun  is  hot.  This  after- 
noon I  started  with  my  coat  on,  but,  getting  to  the  top  of  the  hill, 
I  took  it  off  and  left  it. 

^^  August  21th.  A  splendid  sun  and  a  calm  air  this  da3^  To- 
morrow I  hope  to  be  off,  even  if  Koojcssc  and  party  are  not  back, 
looking  here  and  there,  ifcid  taking  notes  of  the  country ;  I  can 
man  a  boat  with  the  Innuit  ladies  here  if  I  can  do  no  better.  Puto 
came  in  with  her  infant  on  her  back,  and  in  her  hand  a  dish  of 
luscious  berries  that  she  had  picked  this  afternoon,  presenting  the 
.same  to  me.  Of  course  I  gave  her  some  needles  and  a  plug  of 
tobacco  in  return.  The  berries  are  of  various  kinds,  among  which 
are  blueberries — called  by  the  Innuits  Ki-o-tung-nung — and  pomig- 
nung,  a  small  round  black  berry  that  has  the  appearance,  but  not 
the  taste  of  the  blueberry. 

"This  evening,  while  in  the  tupic  doing  up  my  writing  for  the 
day,  I  was  visited  by  several  of  the  Innuits,  among  whom  was 
Suzhi  and  Ninguarping,  both  well  acquainted  with  this  part  of 
tiie  country.  I  tried  to  get  the  former,  when  she  first  called,  to 
sketch  me  Kingaito  side  of  Frobisher  Bay,  as  Veil  as  the  coast 
about  here ;  but  she,  having  never  used  the  pencil,  felt  reluctant 
to  attempt  its  use;  so  she  called  loudly  for  Ninguarping,  who 
soon  came  running  with  all  haste  to  answer  to  her  call.  She  told 
him  what  I  wanted,  and  that  he  must  assist  lier.  I  gave  him  pa- 
per and  pencil,  and  he  proceeded,  giving  me  very  good  ideas  of 
the  Kingaite  side. 

"The  night  is  glorious!  The  sun  left  the  sky  in- crimson, pur- 
ple, and  all  the  varied  shades  that  go  to  make  up  one  of  God's 
beautiful  pictures  in  these  regions.  The  moon  now  walks  up  the 
starry  course  in  majesty  and  beauty,  and  the  aurora  dances  in  the 
southern  sky. 

"  Wednesday^  August  28</j.  Another  day  of  beautiful,  glorious 
weather.    Jack  called  on  me  early  this  morning,  presenting  me 


896  AUCTIC  UESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

with  two  reindeer  tongues.  Last  evening  I  received  anotlier 
boimtiful  present  from  an  Innuit  of  ripe  poung-nung.  Tiiey 
taste  very  much  like  wild  cherries,  liut  what  carries  me  near- 
est home  is  the  blueberry,  it  is  so  like  in  looks  and  taste  to  what 
we  have.  Ninguarping  and  Jack  brought  me  in  this  afternoon 
a  present  of  two  fine  .salmon,  each  measuring  twenty  inches  in 
length.  The  Innuits  call  large  salmon  Kh-cr-loo ;  small  snlmcfn, 
Ek-er-loo-mig.  Salmon  arc  caught  by  the  Innuits  with  a  hook 
afiixed  upon  a  stick,  which  answers  for  a  handle.  They  are  also 
cauf^\t  by  spearing  them  with  a  peculiar  instrument  which  the 
Innuits  manufacture  for  them.selves.* 

"On  the  return  of  the  party,  the  .seal  which  Kooi)crncung  shot 
coming  in  was  made  the  subject  of  a  feast,  lie  (Koopenieung) 
went  around  and  invited  all  the  men  Innuits  here,  who  soon  came, 
each  with  .seal-knife  in  hand.  They  sqtftitted  around  the  seal,  and 
opened  him  up.  A  huge  piece  of  toodnoo  (tuktoo  tallow)  in  one 
hand,  and  seal  liver  in  the  other,  I  did  justice  to  the  same  and  to 
myself.  The  Innuits  and  myself  througli,  the  ladies  took  our 
places.  They  are  now  feasting  on  the  abundance  left.  Seal  is 
the  standing  dish  of  provision  among  the  Innuits.  Tlivy  never 
lire  of  it;  while  for  tuktoo,  Ninoo,  ducks,  salmon,  etc.,  they  soon 
find  all  relish  gone. 

"  Too-loo-ka-ah  shot  his  deer  with  Koojcsse's  gun.  He  usu- 
ally uses  only  bow  and  ari'ows,  the  same  being  in  universal  use 
among  the  Innuits  on  the  north  side  of  Hudson's  Strait.  This 
evening  I  got  Toolookaah  to  try  his  .skill  in  using  these  instru- 
ments— bow  and  arrow — in  making  a  mark  of  my  felt  hat  one 
hundred  feet  off."  The  arrow  .shot  from  his  bow  with  almost  the 
speed  of  a  rifle-ball,  llis  aim  was  a  trifle  under.  lie  mis.scd 
'felt,'  and  lost  his  arrow,  which  is  no  small  matter.  Its  force 
buried  it  in  the  ground,  covered  by  the  luxuriant  grass,  and  all 
our  long  search  proved  unsuecet^sful.  The  arrow  is  made  with 
great  pains,  pointed  with  iron,  spear-.shaped. 

*  TUerc  is  a  third  motlioil  of  cntcliiiiR  salmon  mucli  prnctiscil :  A  kind  of  trap, 
called  tiit-tiP-Je-rm/  (cbtf-tidc  fisli-trap),  is  niade  by  ini'losins  n  nn\n]\  s|ir.cc  with  a 
low  wall,  which  is  rovcred  at  high  tide  and  dry  at  low  water.  Tlie  salmon  go  into 
the  ])cn  over  the  wall,  bnt  arc  left  by  the  rceeding  tide  till  it  is  too  late  to  return  the 
same  way,  and  they  thus  become  an  easy  prey. 


LAND  ANU  WATERS  OF  PLENTY.  397 


CnAPTKR  XXIV. 

ricpnro  to  Icavo  twelfth  Enciinipinent.— Procoed  on  the  Voyngc. — PnssinR  nlonR 
Ik'iul  of  Frobishcr  Buy. — IVale  I'oim, — iliHliop's  iHlniul. — Lund  on  Kingaite,  und 
iimke  tliirteonth  Eiicanipment. — Author  anccnds  a  Mountain. — Tlio"Stttnj  and 
StripCH." — A  new  Country. — Night  at  tho  Cainji. — Sunliglit  on  \\\o  Mountains. — 
Talk  witli  sick  Twerooiig. — Th«  Bible. — Innuit  Ideas  oflleavcn  and  llelL — Fog- 
gy Day. — Aggouii. — Not  a  Tuktoo,  hut  a  (loose. — Vexatious  Delays. — Fourteenth 
Encampment. — A  Day  of  Trials  and  Discoveries. — Arrive  at  West  side  Head  of 
Frobishcr  Bay. — Jordan's  l{iver. — Hazard's  Banks.— Exjiloro  the  new  Land. — 
llcaatiful  (.'ascado. — Extensive  and  verdant  I'lains. — Brenl#  Geese. — Sillinian's 
Eossil  Mount. — Uoinaniie  Pass,  the  Great  Gateway. — A  white  Whale. — An  Innu- 
it's  ill  Humor.— His  savage  Attack  on  his  Wife. — Another  Walk  to  the  Falls. — 
Picturesque  Scenery. — Greenwood's  Land. — Hcindeer. — Start  on  Excursion  to  the 
GriMt  Gateway.  —  Bad  Weather. — Arctic  Owl.— Fossils.  —  Author  sick. — Kind 
Attention  of  Tweroong. — Dish  of  Salmon. — Laughable  Incident. — Koomuk  and 
Pepper. — Another  Excursion. — Visit  to  Sillinian's  Fossil  Mount. 

It  was  on  Thursday  morning,  August  29th,  1861,  when  wc 
rnatlo  preparations  to  leave  our  twelfth  encampment  to  cross  over 
to  the  westward  to  Kingaito,  along  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Fro- 
bishcr. Before  I  proceed  with  my  narrative,  let  me  bring  forward 
an  extract  from  my  journal  written  the  evening  previous: 

"Indeed  we  are  in  a  land  and  by  waters  of  plenty.  I  am  con- 
stantly overwhelmed  with  presents  of  the  very  best  of  choice  eat- 
ing—tuktoo  tongues,  toodnoo,  venison,  ducks,  seals,  and  salmon. 
Koopcrneung  this  moment  (8  P.M.)  comes  in  saymg  that  Koo- 
jcssc  is  near  by.  Now  for  the  (rip  across  the  head  of  Frobishcr  Bay 
to  KiiKjaite  side.  *****  8  30  P.M.  Koojesse  has  just 
arrived ;  brought  four  tuktoo  skins,  showing  that  he  has  killed  as 
many  reindeer.  What  a  pity  that  such  excellent  meat  as  venison 
should  be  abandoned?  lie  has  seen  nothing  of  Koodloo,  \vlio 
still  remains  out.  The  weather  continues  fine,  and  indications  are 
every  way  favorable  of  its  continuance." 

Thursday  morning  Koodloo  had  not  returned  from  his  prolong- 
ed tuktoo  hunt.  Arrangements  having  been  previously  made 
with  him  that,  in  case  he  returned  and  found  us  gone,  he  should 
make  his  way  over  the  land  terminating  Frobi.sher  Bay  to  Kin- 
gaite,  where  he  would  find  us,  wc  decided  to  strike  tuples,  pack 
boats,  and  push  on.  At  10  30  A.M.  the  two  boats  and  two  kias 
were  under  way,  our  course  nearly  due  west,  to  a  point  of  land 


398  AllCTIC  KESEABCII  EXPEDITION. 

called  by  the  natives  Kou-mark-hing — named  by  me  Peale  Point* 
— that  shoots  down  abruptly  some  three  miles  from  the  most 
northerly  extreme  of  Frobisher  Bay. 

We  soon  passed  an  indentation  in  the  coast  of  about  three 
miles,  at  the  head  of  which  was  a  grassy  plain,  a  little  inclined 
from  the  water's  edge  to  the  hills  that  flank  it,  and  extending  back 
for  about  a  mile.  As  we  approached  Peale  Point  I  found  il 
fringed  with  many  islets,  and,  on  arriving  there,  landed  for  mak- 
ing meridional  observations.  Peale  Point  consists  of  rugged 
rocks,  which,  though  not  of  great  height,  are  yet  considerably 
more  elevated  than  any  part  of  the  land  at  the  head  proper  of 
Frobisher  Bay.  Here  we  found  on  the  sandy  beach  large  and 
remarkable  time-worn  boulders,  nearly  white,  and  numerous  tuk- 
too  tracks.  I  noticed,  also,  the  usual  signs  of  Innuit  encamp- 
ments, such  as  circles  of  stones,  bones  of  various  animals,  etc.  On 
reaching  the  lower  gX'oup  of  islands  near  the  cape,  Koojesse,  who 
was  in  his  kia,  came  alongside.  I  asked  him,  '■^ Nou-ti-ma?''''  — 
where  now?  He  pointed  toward  a  long  island  out  of  our  regular 
course  across  the  bay,  I  told  him  I  wished  and  expected  to  go 
direct  to  the  opposite  side  from  our  last  encam})ment — to  go  t<j 
Aa-gou)},  the  west  side  of  the  head  of  the  bay.  He  replied  thai 
we  could  not  get  there,  as  the  tide  would  be  too  low  for  the  lioiil 
before  arriving.  I  thought  dillercntly,  and  said  I  wished  to  gd 
there  and  spend  a  day  or  two.  He,  however,  seemed  not  disposed 
to  please  nie,  and  remarked  that  I  could  sec  the  whole  head  ol 
the  ba}'-  from  the  point  where  he  desired  to  go.  I  answered  that 
this  would  not  do;  J  mud  ijo  irhcrc  I  icanlcd  lo.  If  he  wished  t 
visit  the  point  named,  well  and  good;  he  might  go  there  and 
spend  the  night,  but  on  the  morrow  I  must  have  him  and  the 
others  proceed  with  me  in  the  direction  I  wished,  lie  agi'ccd  to 
this,  though  evidently  considering  it  useless,  so  long  as  I  eould  see 
thg  termination  of  the  baj'. 

According  to  my  original  purpose,  I  thought  it  well  to  attempt 
to  go  back  by  the  Kingaite  side,  that  is,  oj)posite  to  my  upwai'd 
route.  At  all  events,  I  would  endeavor  to  get  as  flxr  as  the  island 
Kikitnkjna,  Gabriel's  Tslandf  of  Frobisher,  which  is  not  far  from 
the  locality  where  "Sampson"  and  his  people  were  located  dur- 
ing my  visit  to  them  in  the  previous  winter.    It  is  true  that  I  had 

*  Named  nfter  Washington  Penic,  of  New  York  City.    It  is  in  Int.  03°  43'  30"  N., 
lonp.  C.s  ';i;VW. 
t  The  centre  of  Gabriel's  Isknd  is  in  lat.  G2''  .^l'  N.Jong.  CC=  22'\Y.—V!de  Chart. 


u 


THIRTEENTH  ENCAMPMENT. 


899 


intended  to  revisit  the  coast  on  that  side ;  but  still  enougli  had 
been  done,  with  sufficient  accuracy,  for  the  civilized  world  to  gain 
a  knowledge  of  the  general  situation  of  Frobisher  Bay.  At  least, 
the  opinion  that  these  waters  are  a  strait  ought  not  any  longer  to 
be  entertained. 

At  4  P.M.,  having  made  a  distance  of  six  miles  from  Pcalc's 
Point  on  a  course  S.  40°  W.  true,  we  entered  a  channel,  with 
Kingaite  on  our  right  and  Bishop's  Island*  at  our  left.  The  coast 
on  each  side  was  steep,  but  in  many  places  covered  with  grass 
and  the  usual  vegetation  to  be  found  here  in  the  North.  The  en- 
trance to  this  channel  was  about  half  a  mile  wide;  but,  on  mak- 
ing a  quarter  of  a  mile,  it  brought  us  into  a  harbor  that  appeared 
to  be  a  fine  one,  not  less  than  two  and  a  half  miles  in  diameter. 
Thence  we  passed  on  a  course  nearly  south  to  the  west  side  of  the 
harbor,  where  we  landed,  and  there  made  our  tliartecnth  encamp- 
niontf  on  Kingaite. 


LANllINd   FOn   THE   NKillT'R    ENrAMrMEVT. 


*  Tims  named  after  R.  M.  IJishop,  of  Cincinnati,  Oliio.  The  centre  of  this  island, 
whicli  l)ounds  tiie  north  anil  eastern  side  of  the  harbor  of  the  thirteenth  encami'- 
nient,  is  in  lat.  G;J°  ;$7'  N.,  long.  08°  05'  W. 

t  Our  thirteenth  encami)ment  was  in  lat.  63°  30'  N.,  long.  68°  43'  W. 


400 


ARCTIC  RESEAliCH  EXPEDITION. 


Throughout  this  day,  on  approaching  the  islands  or  main  land, 
I  noticed  that  the  water  seemed  very  shallow,  and  it  was  certain 
that  no  large-sized  ships  could  attempt  to  reach  the  head  of  Fro- 
bisher  Bay  with  any  degree  of  safety. 

Before  arriving  at  the  place  of  our  encampment,  I  saw  the  tu- 
ples of  our  other  Iiinuit  friends  and  the  curling  smoke  of  their 
fires.  As  I  landed  Koodloo  greeted  us.  lie  had  just  come  in 
from  his  hunt,  having  shot  and  secured  skins  and  toodnoo  of  four 
deer.  This  made  thirteen  that  my  three  men  had  killed  within 
four  days.  On  making  up  to  our  intended  encampment,  all  hands 
commenced  luiloading  the  boat,  the  females,  as  was  customary, 
acting  as  pack-horses  in  conveying  every  thing  wp  the  steep  rocks 
beyond  reach  of  the  tide;  then  they  selected  a  convenient  spot 
and  erected  the  tuples. 

A  few  momeuts  after  our  arrival,  with  the  "stars  and  stripes" 
of  my  country  in  one  hand  and  my  spyglass  in  the  other,  I  made 
my  \.'ay  to  the  crest  of  a  high  hill  in  the  rear  of  our  encampment. 
Before  starting,  the  sun  was  down — to  us ;  but,  as  I  reached  the 
summit,  his  glorious  rays  burst  upon  me.  And  how  glad  was  my 
heart  as  I  planted  the  flag  of  America  upon  that  mountain-top, 
and  beheld  it  fluttering  to  the  breezes  of  heaven  in  the  sun's  light. 
The  red,  white,  and  blue — the  argent  stars — seemed  gifted  with  a 

speaking  spirit  that  said, 
"God  hath  ever  blessed, 
and  ever  will  bless  this  em- 
blem of  freedom  and  pow- 
er !"  Yes,  said  I,  mental- 
ly, that  baiuier  now  floats 
where  white  man  never 
stood  before.  The  Amer- 
ican flag  precedes  all  oth- 
ers in  proclaiming  that  this 
is  the  inceptive  moment 
when  civilization,  with  all 
its  attendant  virtues,  makes 
hither  its  advance, 
ITow  soul-in.spiring  was  the  scene  before  me  as,  drinking  in  the 
sweets  presented  to  my  eyes,  I  wended  my  way  from  one  mount- 
ain-top to  another.  It  was  night  when  1  got  back  to  our  encanij)- 
ment,  and  I  was  immediately  greeted  with  two  welcome  presents 
of  blueberries.     Tweroong  brought  hers  in  a 


gold-banded  ckirtu 


INNUITS  DESIRE  TO  HEAR  OF  HEAVEN.  401 

saucer.  And  a  most  strange  sight  it  was,  here  amid  the  gray  old 
rocks,  and  among  this  iron  people,  to  see  such  an  emblem  of  civ- 
ilization as  a  tea-saucer.  It  was  brim  full  of  ripe,  luscious  berries, 
which  were  then  very  abundant.  • 

As  I  descended  from  the  mountains  I  saw  that  the  white  clouds 
were  kissing  their  tops.  I  knew  this  was  an  omen  of  bad  weath- 
er. A  thick  fog  soon  settled,  and  this,  on  the  following  day,  Au- 
gust 30th,  turned  into  cold  and  wet,  confining  me  the  whole  time 
to  our  tent.  During  the  day  Puto  was  in  our  tupic  cutting  out 
a  jacket  for  Kooperneung's  wife.  The  skins  were  of  a  kind  of 
seals  called  by  the  natives  kus-se-gear,  wliich  has  softer  hair  than 
some  other  species,  and  visits  salt  and  fresh  water  alike.  These 
skins,  being  beautifully  mottled  and  glossy,  make  fine-looking 
dresses,  and  are  much  prized  by  the  Innuits,  Koomuk,  wife  of 
Toolookaah,  both  of  Sekoselar,  brought  me  a  huge  reindeer 
tongue.  In  return  I  gave  her  some  beads,  which  greatly  delight- 
ed her.  Tweroong  was  there  at  the  time,  and  I  asked  her  what 
she  had  done  with  the  beads  I  had  recently  presented  her.  Her 
reply  was  that  she  had  given  them  to  the  angeko  for  his  services 
in  her  sickness.  As  she  was  a  truly  generous,  kind-hearted  wom- 
an, I  selected  a  few  more  and  gave  them  to  her,  and  in  returning 
the  remainder  to  a  little  tin  case,  in  which  I  kept  my  journal,  ob- 
servation books,  and  a  few  other  precious  things,  my  eye  rested 
on  the  Bible.  I  took  it  out  and  held  it  up  before  the  women,  say- 
ing, "  This  talks  to  me  about  Iiood-le-jxir-mi-wifj  (heaven)." 

If  a  flash  of  lightning  had  come  down  into  the  tupic  with  all  its 
blaze  it  could  not  have  had  a  more  sudden  effect  than  what  I  said 
and  showed  to  them.  At  first  they  looked  affrighted,  but  the 
next  instant  smiles  of  great  joy  appeared  upon  their  countenances. 
I  never  shall  forget  that  moment.  Tweroong  was  sitting  by  my 
side  on  some  furs  spread  upon  the  ground,  making  a  sketch  for 
me  of  the  coast  on  the  north  side  of  Hudson's  Strait,  while  Koo- 
muk was  lying  on  the  grass  by  the  tent  door,  with  her  head  in- 
side, facing  us.  On  the  instant  that  I  said  the  Bible  talked  to  me 
of  heaven  they  both  sprang  up,  apparently  banishing  all  thought 
of  every  thing  else  from  their  minds,  and  expressed  a  wish  that 
I  should  talk  to  tliem  about  what  it  said  to  me.  My  imperfect 
knowledge  of  their  language,  however,  precluded  me  from  tell- 
ing them  much  that  it  did  say.  Neither  could  I  do  more,  when 
Tweroong  asked  me  if  it  talked  about  Ad-le-2mr-me-un,  point- 
ing down,  than  to  answer  in  the  affirmative,  bringing  forth  more 

Cc 


402  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

surprise  from  them.  I  need  hardly  say  how  much  I  longed  to 
possess  the  power  of  communicating  to  them  the  truthful  beau- 
ties of  our  Christian  faith ;  of  dwelling  upon  its  heavenly  Found- 
er, and  of  telling  them  of  God.  Perchance  the  day  may  yet  come 
when  these  people  shall  no  longer  be  without  some  one  who  can 
do  so. 

On  Saturday,  August  31st,  the  weather  was  thick  and  foggy. 
In  the  morning  I  had  a  good  wash  with  snow — not  snow  of  this 
season,  however.  What  its  age  was  I  know  not ;  perhaps  it  be- 
longed to  many  winters  ago ;  but,  notwithstanding,  it  was  fresh 
and  white,  and  it  gave  me  clean,  cool  hands  and  fiice,  which  is  a 
luxury  in  the  North  as  well  as  in  any  other  place.  By  the  side 
of  this  friendly  snow-drift  was  abundant  vegetation,  green  and 
fruitful,  and  blueberries  all  around.  I  picked  some  with  rather 
cold,  stiff  fingers,  and  made  a  capital  feast.  I  had  not  found  any 
place  where  there  was  a  greater  variety  of  vegetable  growth  with- 
in the  same  space.  In  a  little  spot,  not  over  four  feet  square,  one 
could  count  more  than  fifty  diifercnt  kinds  of  vegetation.  Moss- 
es, grasses,  berry-bushes,  flowers,  willows,  and  many  other  plants, 
could  be  enumerated  as  abounding  in  that  little  plot.  But  all 
these  were  quite  diminutive ;  for  instance,  the  blueberry-bushes 
were  only  from  an  inch  to  two  inches  in  height. 

On  this  day  I  made  arrangements  with  Miner  and  Koojesse  for 
the  whole  company  in  the  boats  and  kias  to  return  by  the  Kin- 
gaite  side.  It  was  agreed  that  we  should  proceed  first  to  Aggoun 
— the  Innuit  name  of  the  west  side  of  the  head  of  Frobisher  Bay 
— and  thence  return  and  follow  down  the  coast  of  Kingaite.  The 
chief  reason  for  my  making  such  an  arrangement  was  that,  by 
having  iivo  boats,  should  a  mishap  occur  to  one,  the  other  would 
be  our  '■'■Rescue.^'' 

We  started  from  our  thirteenth  encampment  in  the  afternoon, 
leaving  behind  two  of  the  Innuit  tents  erect,  and  some  sundries, 
to  be  called  for  on  our  return  from  Aggoun.  Our  course  wi^s  di- 
rect for  the  northwest  end  of  Bishop's  Island,  upon  which  I  land- 
ed. From  its  top  the  whole  head  of  Frobisher  Bay,  from  Sj'lvia 
Grinnell  River,  northeast  side,  to  Aggoun,  west  side,  was  in  view. 
It  is  fourteen  nautical  miles  across.  The  termination  is  not  by 
deep  bays  or  fiords,  but  by  slight  indentations,  the  greatest  not 
exceeding  three  miles.  Bishop's  Island  was  well  covered  with 
vegetation,  especially  with  reindeer  iqioss,  the  ground,  in  many 
parts,  being  quite  carpeted  with  it. 


FROBISHER  STRAIT  A  MYTH.  403 

As  we  descended  the  side-hill  leading  to  the  boat,  I  found  the 
women  busily  engaged  with  their  cups  in  blueberry  picking,  pull- 
ing them  now  and  then  by  the  handful,  the  berries  were  so  large 
and  abundant.  Before  long  the  party  came  on  board,  bringing 
with  them  quarts  of  the  luscious  ff  uit,  with  which  they  entertain- 
ed us  very  agreeably,  the  whole  scene  carrying  mc  back  at  once 
among  the  friends  of  my  youth. 

Innuits  will  always  be  Inuuits.  "When  we  left  our  thirteenth 
encampment,  one  of  them  had  gone  off  with  his  kia  to  an  island 
to  hunt  some  tuktoo,  which  had  been  seen  two  hours  before.  A 
part  of  the  company  had  been  left  with  the  other  boat  to  await 
the  return  of  the  deer-hunter,  while  the  rest  of  us  went  on  slow- 
ly, stopping  at  Bishop's  Island,  as  above  related.  We  had  but 
just  re-embarked,  when  Koojcsse,  looking  through  his  spyglass 
back  toward  the  encampment,  announced  that  the  other  party  had 
a  tuktoo  in  the  water — a  live  tuktoo !  This  fired  every  Innuit ; 
all  the  powers  of  reason  could  not  keep  them  from  going  to  sec 
the  fun ;  and  so  about  we  went,  and  in  a  moment  they  were  all 
pulling  back  as  for  dear  life.  The  sequel  was  more  amusing  and 
satisfactory  to  me  than  to  my  Innuits.  When  they  came  near 
enough  to  see  their  live  tuktoo,  it  turned  out  to  be  only  a  goose! 

After  sundry  other  vexatious  delays  of  a  similar  nature  we 
were  fairly  under  way,  and  the  scene  was  for  a  time  pretty  in- 
deed. The  boats  were  alongside  of  each  other.  The  Innuit  wom- 
en were  at  the  oars.  In  the  jacket-hood  of  Puto  was  her  child, 
the  constant,  measured  rock  of  the  body  in  pulling  the  oar  being 
equal  for  sleep-giving  to  any  patent  Yankee  cradle  ever  invented. 
The  gilt  head -bands  of  the  ladies  glittered  and  flashed,  and  the 
whole  picture  was  peculiar  and  charming. 

At  about  G  P.M.  we  stopped  for  our  fourteenth  encampment,* 
the  fog  shutting  us  out  from  all  view  except  of  the  coast  on  our 
left.  The  place  where  we  encamped  was  on  the  Kingaite  side  of 
Frobishcr  Bay,  at  the  base  of  a  long  straight  bank  of  sand  and 
shingle,  from  thirty-five  to  forty  feet  high,  the  top  being  a  grassy 
slope  which  extended  back  some  three  hundred  fathoms  to  the 
mountains. 

'■'■September  \st,  1861.  A  day  of  trials  and  discovery.  At  last  I 
am  where  I  have  long  desired  to  bo.  From  my  oion  vision,  'Fro- 
bishcr''s  St7mi''  is  a  myth.  It  only  exists  in  the  minds  of  the  civil- 
ized world — 7iot  in  fact. 

*  Our  fourteenth  onciinipnicnt  was  in  lat.  G3°  4 1'  N.,  lonp.  G8°  48'  W. 


404  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

"  I  find  this  side  still  more  interesting  than  the  other.  Here, 
at  the  west  extreme,  are  far  more  extensive  plains  of  grassy  land 
than  elsewhere.  Koojesse  has  this  moment  passed  to  my  hands 
what  I  think  will  prove  to  be  rare  geological  specimens — fossils.'"" 

But  let  me  give  the  day's  occurrences  in  a  methodical  form ; 
for  I  wrote  the  above,  and  much  more,  in  my  diary  while  sitting 
on  the  rocks  that  are  at  the  head  of  Frobisher  Bay,  after  several 
hours'  severe  labor. 

The  morning  commenced  thick  and  foggy,  with  occasional 
glimpses  of  finer  weather.  I  ascended  to  the  plain  in  the  rear  of 
the  fourteenth  encampment,  at  the  top  of  the  sand  and  shingle 
bank,  and  saw  much  vegetation,  with  numerous  signs  of  reindeer 
in  the  neighborhood.  Then  I  examined  wherever  I  could ;  but 
my  view  was  very  limited,  as  numerous  islands  bounded  the  vi- 
sion toward  the  bay.  At  low  water  frequent  shoals  are  exposed, 
and  even  to  navigate  our  boats  thus  far  we  had  been  obliged  to 
wait  for  the  tide  at  half  flood. 

When  I  desired  to  get  under  way,  I  found  that  Koojesse,  with- 
out saying  one  word  to  me  about  it,  had  gone  out  on  the  mount- 
ains tuktoo  hunting.  Kooperneung  had  also  taken  Miner's  kia, 
and  had  set  out  in  advance  after  seals.  Thus  was  I  perpetually 
annoyed  by  the  freaks  and  vagaries  of  this  free  and  independent 
people.  At  last,  however,  at  1  P.M.,  we  left  our  encampment  and 
proceeded  up  the  west  side  of  the  bay,  toward  its  extreme  head, 
called  by  the  Innuits  Aggoun. 

I  had  a  boat's  crew  of  women ;  for  Koodloo,  who  bad  frequent- 
ly proved  himself  a  lazy  dog,  sat  in  the  bow  with  his  oar  peaked, 
leisufely  reclining  on  his  thwart.  Having  gone  for  some  time 
in  a  northwesterly  direction,  I  turned  the  boat  toward  the  shore 
(Kingaite  side),  intending  to  land  and  visit  a  remarkable  ridge  of 
what  seemed  to  be  sand,  stretching  a  mile  or  so  along  the  coast. 
Before  getting  near  the  shore,  though,  I  could  see  that  the  water 
was  becoming  very  shallow,  the  bottom  being  of  fine  sand,  and 
the  boat  soon  grounded.  As  I  could  not  make  a  landing,  I 
concluded  to  push  on,  for  I  felt  sure  that  we  were  very  near  the 
termination  of  Frobisher  Bay.  I  reckoned  without  my  host,  how- 
ever, in  thinking  to  get  on  without  trouble.  The  Innuits  of  my 
boat  looked  back  to  the  c  aft  of  "  Miner,"  and  declared  that  the 
latter  was  making  an  encampment  about  a  mile  behind.  I  found 
the  crew  bent  on  going  thither,  but  I  was  determined  this  should 
not  be.    I  asked  Suzhi,  '■'■NouUma  Aggoun  V — where  is  Aggoun  ? 


HAZARD'S  BANKS.— GREAT  GATEWAY.  405 

She  pointed  to  where  Miner  was.  I  knew  this  to  be  but  a  trick 
to  get  me  back.  I  felt  that  I  could  manage  women  at  least,  and 
cried  out  A-chool! — pull  ahead — returning  a  decided  negative  to 
their  prayers  to  go  back.  With  some  difficulty  I  brought  them 
to  their  working  senses. 

Finally  we  reached  the  estuary  of  a  river — Jordan's  River,*  as 
I  have  named  it — and,  after  crossing  it,  landed  on  its  eastern  side. 
We  were  then  obliged  to  wade  quite  a  distance  to  the  shore  prop- 
er through  mud  that  was  nearly  knee  deep.  On  a  small  grass- 
plat  of  Hazard's  Banksf  we  made  our  fifteenth  encampment. 

Leaving  the  Innuits  to  unload  the  boat,  I  started  off  on  a  tramp 
of  discovery,  and  continued  my  course  up  the  river,  which  at  first 
ran  in  a  northwest  direction,  and  then,  for  a  short  distance,  more 
northerly.  As  I  walked  along,  charmed  with  the  prospect  before 
me,  I  came  across  a  skull,  which  I  took  up  for  the  purpose  of  as- 
certaining from  the  Innuits  to  what  animal  it  belonged.  I  after- 
ward found  that  it  was  that  of  a  white  whale.  I  saw  around  me, 
as  I  advanced,  that  vegetation  was  abundant,  and  signs  of  animal 
life  were  very  numerous.  As  I  rounded  a  rocky  eminence  by  the 
river  side,  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  from  where  I  had  left  the  boat, 
a  beautiful  cascade,  at  the  head  of  tide-water,  was  before  me,  and 
at  its  base  a  little  sheet  of  water  nearly  covered  with  Brent  geese. 

From  this  point  an  extensive  and  picturesque  scene  burst  upon 
my  view.  Before  me  were  long  and  wide  plains^  meadows  of 
grass,  smoothly-sloping  hills,  and  a  range  of  mountains  beyond, 
which,  parting  in  one  particular  spot,  formed,  as  it  were,  a  natural 
gate  way,  that  might  almost  lead,  in  fancy,  to  some  fairy  land  be- 
yond. At  my  left,  across  the  river,  was  a  ridge  of  white,  which  I 
afterward  named  Silliman's  Fossil  Mount,:}:  and  behind  it  the  un- 
broken front  of  a  line  of  mountains  extending  northwesterly  to 
the  opening  which  I  have  called  the  Great  Gateway.  On  the  oth- 
er, or  northern  side,  the  mountins  continued  from  this  singular 
opening  on  by  Frobisher  Bay  to  the  locality  around  Field  Bay, 
far  to  the  southwest  and  eastward.  Flocks  of  little  chirping  birds 
greeted  me  at  every  turn,  and  nowyers  and  ducks  were  in  num- 

*  Named  after  Daniel  B.  Jordan,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

t  Tlie  land  on  the  cast  side  of  tlie  estuary  of  Jordan's  River  I  have  named  after 
Charles  S.  Hazard,  of  New  York  City.  Hazard's  Banks  are  in  lat.  63°  46'  N.,  long. 
68°  52'  W. 

X  Thus  named  after  Benjamin  Silliman,  Jr.,  of  New  Haven,  Conn.  This  fossil 
mount  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  termination  of  Frobisher  Bay.  It  is  in  lot.  63°  44', 
long.  68°  56'. 


406 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXl'EDITION. 


bers  before  my  eye.  Words  can  not  express  my  delight,  in  viev 
of  this  scene,  as  I  stood  by  the  waterfall,  beholding  its  white  spray, 
and  the  clear,  limpid  stream  of  the  river. 

The  fall  is  about  twenty-five  feet  in  three  or  four  rods,  and  at 
no  place  over  four  feet  descent  at  once.  The  river  is  not  so  large 
as  the  Sylvia  Grinnell,  and  yet,  though  the  season  is  evidently  a 
dry  one,  much  water  flows  along,  and  at  certain  portions  of  the 
year  this  stream  must  discharge  a  large  quantity.  The  banks  in 
some  places  are  of  fine  sand,  and  in  others,  farther  up,  of  ledges 
of  rocks  that  are  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  high.  I  wandered  about 
for  two  hours,  and  then  returned  to  our  camp. 

Miner's  boat  was  out  at  the  time,  but  I  soon  saw  it  approaching 
at  great  speed,  its  crew  shouting  lustily.  ■*  In  a  moment  I  perceived 
the  cause  of  their  excitement.  A  white  whale  was  swiftly  mak- 
ing its  way  through  the  waters  toward  the  main  bay.  The  In- 
nuits  were  after  it,  and  their  shouting  voices  made  the  neighbor- 
hood ring  again ;  ,but  it  escaped,  and  the  boat  came  to  our  en- 
campment, the  occupants  in  no  good  humor.  One  of  the  men, 
Charley,  clearly  proved  this.  His  wife  was  helping  to  unload  the 
boat,  and  had  to  walk  through  deep  mud  with  a  heavy  load  uj)on 
her  shoulder.  Suddenly,  for  some  unknown  cause,  Charley,  with 
great  force,  threw  his  seal-hook  directly  at  her.  It  caught  in  her 
jacket.  Turning  round,  she  calmhj  took  it  out,  and  then  walked 
on  again.  It  was  a  cruel  act  of  the  man,  but  these  Innuits  always 
summarily  punish  their  wives  for  any  real  or  imaginary  offense. 
They  seize  the  first  thing  at  hand — a  stone,  knife,  hatchet,  or  spear 
— and  throw  it  at  the  offending  woman,  just  as  they  would  at  their 
dogs. 

Two  of  our  party  were  still  absent.  Koojcsse,  however,  made 
his  appearance  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  it  was  nec- 
essary to  send  the  kia  to  fetch  him  off.  Now  a  kia  has  but  one 
hole  in  its  covering  for  the  person  who  uses  it;  therefore,  if  a  sec- 
ond person  is  to  be  carried  any  where,  he  or  she  must  take  a  po- 
sition directly  behind  the  other  occupant,  lying  flat  on  the  face, 
perfectly  straight  and  still.  It  was  in  this  manner  that  Koojesse, 
and  afterward  Toolookaah,  were  brought  off. 

I  had  another  walk  up  to  the  falls,  and  again  the  scene  appear- 
ed to  me  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  I  had  ever  beheld.  I  felt 
like  those  old  Icelanders  who  visited  the  regions  west  of  them, 
and,  because  of  more  verdure  seen  than  in  their  own  country,  ex- 
claimed, "  This  is  Greenland !"    In  the  present  case,  my  feeling 


gheenwood's  land.  407 

was  that  no  more  appropriate  name  could  be  given  to  the  district 
before  me  than  "Greenwood's  Land,"  in  honor  of  Miles  Green- 
wood, of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  I  think  no  one,  not  even  an  English 
geographer,  will  question  my  right  to  name  this  land.  At  the 
head  of  Frobishcr  Bay  —  now  positively  determined  to  be  such, 
and  no  longer  a  "strait"  —  exists  this  beautiful  and  fertile  dis- 
trict, and  I  considered  the  name  of  Greenwood  to  be  especially 
appropriate. 

On  the  morning  of  September  2d,  after  breakfast,  reindeer  were 
seen  on  the  plain  across  the  river,  and  immediate  chase  was  given 
by  some  of  our  hunters.  Two  were  speedily  captured,  and  all 
hands  soon  began  the  task  of  skinning  the  animals  and  preparing 
food.  While  the  people  were  thus  occupied,  I  started,  accompa- 
nied by  Tunukderlien  and  Toolookaah,  for  an  excursion  inland 
toward  the  Great  Gateway.  We  arrived  at  a  place  opposite  the 
falls,  and  there,  seated  on  the  green  carpet  of  nature,  the  woman 
commenced  sewing,  while  I  occupied  myself  with  my  journal. 
Koojesse,  who  was  to  go  with  mc,  shortly  arrived,  crossing  the 
river  to  us  by  fearful  leaps  from  rock  to  rock  over  the  rushing 
stream.  Soon  after,  Toolookaah — who  had  gone  across  the  river 
to  a  feast  at  the  place  where  the  reindeer  were  killed — rejoined 
us,  and  we  again  proceeded  on  our  exploring  trip;  but  in  a  short 
time  rain  fell,  and  we  had  to  take  shelter  under  a  huge  boulder 
rock,  distant  from  the  tuples  six  miles.  Finally,  as  a  heavy  storm 
set  in,  spoiling  my  excursion  for  the  day,  we  returned  to  the  en- 
campment. During  our  journey  a  white  owl  was  seen ;  also  par- 
tridges and  other  wild  game.  Several  rare  specimens  of  fossils 
were  also  picked  up,  and  in  every  direction  I  found  abundant  evi- 
dence of  a  region  fertile  to  the  explorer. 

The  two  reindeer  shot  this  morning  were  mother  and  young. 
The  latter  was  fired  at  first.  The  parent  then  hastened  to  her 
offspring,  and  this  enabled  the  shrewd  Innuits  to  kill  the  doc.  It 
is  the  general  custom  among  this  people,  in  chasing  the  deer,  to 
kill  the  fawn  first ;  then  it  is  rare  indeed  that  the  mother  is  not 
also  secured. 

For  some  time  past  I  had  been  suffering  from  painful  boils,  and 
the  morning  of  September  3d  found  me  quite  ill,  and  confined  to 
my  fur  bed  inside  the  tuple.  I  felt  no  inclination  to  eat  until  the 
kind-hearted  Tweroong  came  in,  with  her  pretty  china  tea-saucer 
full  of  golden  salmon,  smoking  hot.  The  very  sight  of  it  made 
me  better.    It  was  delicious,  and  seemed  to  fairly  melt  in  my 


408  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

mouth.  It  did  mo  much  good,  and  I  could  not  help  thinking  of 
my  present  situation  as  contrasted  with  that  of  other  civilized 
men.  There,  alone,  among  a  people  termed  "  unenlightened,  sav- 
ages, and  degraded  beings" — away  by  myself  in  a  newly-discov- 
ered region,  that  is,  in  a  district  previously  untrodden  by  my  own 
white  race — confined  by  sickness  within  a  shelter  that  scarcely 
protects  from  rain  and  wind — every  thing  dripping  wet — suffer- 
ing from  the  pain  of  my  body,  and  having  no  person  to  procure 
me  what  I  might  want,  I  am  unexpectedly  visited  by  a  woman 
of  the  land,  bearing  in  her  hand  a  beautiful  emblem  of  civiliza- 
tion filled  with  the  most  dainty  dish — boiled  salmon — fresh  from 
the  river  I  had  just  discovered.  Truly  woman — a  good  woman — 
is  an  angel  wherever  she  is.  The  vision  of  Tweroong  will  long 
live  in  my  memory.  God  bless  the  kind-hearted  Innuit  for  her 
thoughtful ness,  and  her  care  of  the  white-man  stranger  in  her  own 
wonderful  land. 

During  the  day  Koojesse  was  using  in  his  soup  some  pepper 
which  I  had  brought  with  mo  as  a  condiment.  Koomuk  desired 
to  taste  it,  and  Koojesse  at  once  gratified  her  wish.  lie  sifted 
some  into  her  open  hand,  and  she  immediately  lapped  it  up  in  one 
dose.  The  next  moment  all  the  contortions,  grimaces,  jumping, 
and  spitting  that  could  be  imagined  followed.  The  woman  seem- 
ed as  if  stricken  with  sudden  madness,  and,  when  once  more  calm, 
declared  that  nothing  should  ever  induce  her  to  put  such  vile 
stuff  in  her  mouth  again.  An  hour  later,  Toolookaah,  Koomuk's 
wing-a  (husband),  was  served  in  a  similar  way.  He  came  into  the 
tent,  and,  seeing  that  something  from  my  well-seasoned  dish  was 
still  left,  he  desired  to  have  it  What  he  thus  coveted  was  mere- 
ly salt  and  pepper,  articles  to  him  unknown,  Ue,  thinking  it  to 
be  a  delicacy  of  the  white  man's,  licked  it  all  up  in  quick  time. 
The  result  may  be  imagined.  Though  myself  sick,  I  could  not 
control  my  laughter,  in  which  "Miner"  and  the  other  Innuits 
joined  on  beholding  the  poor  man's  terror  and  dismay,  added  to 
the  most  comical  contortions  of  his  countenance.  In  Koomuk's 
case  she  had  only  pepper,  but  Toolookaah  had  a  double  dose — 
pepper  and  salt — and  he  suffered  accordingly. 

The  next  day,  September  4th,  I  was  still  confined  to  my  tent  by 
sickness.  The  abscess  on  my  sho'^lder  had  become  so  painful  that 
every  remedy  in  my  power  to  apply  was  resorted  to.  At  length 
a  salve  formed  of  reindeer  tallow  gave  me  some  relief.  During 
this  time  every  kind  attention  was  paid  to  me  by  the  Innuit  worn- 


GOOD-SOULED  TWEROONG.  409 

cn,  especially  Twcroong,  who  frequently  brought  various  cooked 
dishes  to  tempt  my  poor  appetite.  Oh,  woman !  thou,  indeed, 
canst  rob  pain  of  its  sting,  and  plant  refreshing  flowers  in  its 
place.  Thy  mission  is  a  glorious  one.  Even  among  the  rudest 
tribes  of  the  earth  thy  softening  hand  and  kindly  heart  are  found. 
No  land,  however  distant,  however  repulsive,  limits  thy  noble 
deeds.  Thy  words  may  be  few,  but  they  are  musical  to  one  sick 
in  body  or  wearied  in  mind ;  thy  good  works  may  be  silently 
done,  but  they  are  lasting  and  immeasurable. 

A  very  high  tide  occurred  on  the  morning  of  September  5th. 
The  weather  was  pleasanter,  but  many  signs  were  manifest  which 
urged  me  to  return  to  tho  ship.  The  Kingaite  mountains  were 
topped  with  white,  and  the  cold  was  sensibly  felt  in  the  night 
time*;  but  my  sick  state  still  prevented  mo  from  moving  out  on 
any  land  excursion,  as  I  wished.  The  same  morning  "Miner," 
with  his  wife  and  crew,  left  for  the  place  of  our  thirteenth  en- 
campment. 

I  here  bring  forward  a  few  extracts  from  my  journal : 

"  Thursday,  Seplcmher  bth.  *  *  *  *  To-morrow  we  leave 
our  fifteenth  encampment  for  the  place  of  the  thirteenth.  There 
I  shall  find  my  good-souled  Innuit  friend  Twcroong,  who  will  pre- 
pare me  something  good.  I  do  not  like  to  leave  here  till  I  have 
done  more  work ;  but  I  must  go,  sick  as  I  am. 

"  The  weather  now  indicates  a  fovorable  change.  The  evening 
is  pleasant.     I  pray  God  to  bless  me  with  restored  health. 

"  This  evening,  at  high  tide,  I  and  Koojesse  were  going  to  take 
the  boat  and  ferry  the  river,  that  I  might  visit  the  remarkable 
phenomenon  of  these  regions — the  Sand  !Mount;  but  I  have  sent 
for  him  to  come  to  my  tuple,  saying  I  could  not  go — was  not  able, 
indeed. 

*'  The  snow  that  fell  last  night,  and  which  whitened  the  mount- 
ains of  Kingaite  this  morning,  has  disappeared  during  the  day. 

'■'■  Fnday,  September  Gth.  Another  terrible  night  of  struggle  with 
pains.  When  shall  I  be  well  again  ?  The  fine  weather  of  to-day 
has  been  of  some  benefit.     God  be  praised. 

"  This  morning,  at  an  early  hour,  T  was  up.  I  might  as  well 
have  been  up  all  night;  for,  though  down  on  a  soft  tuktoo  bed, 
and  dry,  yet  I  could  get  no  sweet  sleep. 

"  When  the  tide  was  up  sufficient  to  set  the  boat  afloat,  I  got 
Koojesse  and  Koodloo  to  ferry  me  across  the  river,  that  I  might 
visit  the  peculiar  sight  which  had  been  constantly  staring  me  in 


410 


ARCTIC  UESEAUCII  EXrEDlTION. 


my  face  during  my  five  days'  stop  at  the  fifteenth  encampment. 
I  visited  that  phenomenon ;  I  mounted  it,  and  went  around  it 
also.  It  is  a  mount  of  marine  fossils  in  limestone,  half  a  mile 
long,  and  over  a  hundred  feet  high.  It  presents  something  of 
this  appearance,  the  long  lino  of  Kingaite  mountains  behind 
stretching  away  to  the  Gateway  northwest. 


'XJ^i 


"*X  SJsj 


BILUMAM  B  FOSSIL  MOUNT. 


*  -x-  -X-  «  "The  debris  of  the  fossils  begins  at  or  near  the 
top  of  the  mount,  fiilling  at  such  an  angle  as  broken  stone  from  a 
mountain  always  makes — an  inclination  of  about  40°.  Above  the 
talus,  or  heap  of  broken  stones,  is  a  mass  of  fossils  in  limestone, 
strata-like,  A  smaller  mount*  of  the  same  character  is  close  by, 
but  all  in  debris.  It  seems  to  have  been  divided  from  the  main  by 
the  rushing  down  of  waters  from  the  mountains  behind.  A  small 
stream  comes  down  the  mountains,  passes  along,  and  finally  makes 
its  way  out  between  the  two  fossil  mounts.  This  is  also  indica- 
ted in  the  course  of  this  stream,  as  an  acre  or  more  of  the  plain 

*  The  small  mount  referred  to  is  not  represented  in  the  illustration,  but  is  to  the 
right,  or  northwest  of  the  main  one. 


SILLIMAN'S  FOSSIL  MOUNT.  411 

is  covered  several  feet  in  depth  witU  tlio  wnshcd-down  debris  of 
fossils.  I  picked  up  several  specimens,  and  have  them  with  me. 
The  top  of  SiUiman's  Fossil  Mount  is  cohered  with  boulders  and 
grass.  Even  when  close  to  the  small  mount  it  looks  like  sand, 
but  on  examination  it  is  fmo  broken  limestone  and  fossils. 

"  Having  spent  two  hours  on  and  around  this  interesting  mount, 
I  made  my  way  over  the  plain  of  grass  between  said  mount  and 
the  river,  and  cried  to  those  at  the  fifteenth  encampment.  Soon 
Koodloo,  with  two  of  the  lady  portion  of  the  crew,  put  out  after 
me.  I  had  my  arms  and  pockets  full  of  specimens,  and  a  hard, 
weak,  weary  time  did  I  have  of  it. 

"I  had  thought  to  cut  in  stone,  somewhere  near  the  fifteenth 
encampment,  my  name,  or  something  to  indicate  my  visit  here  (to 
the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Frobisher),  but  I  had  not  the  tools  to  do  it 
with.  This  thought  occurred  to  me  on  the  idea  that  .some  of  civ- 
ilization who  may  yet  make  a  voyage  here  niiglit  have  this  proof 
that  I  had  preceded  him  or  them. 

"  But  the  description  of  the  river,  the  falls,  the  fossil  mount,  the 
miles  of  exposed  bottom  at  low  tide,  will  answer  as  well.  What 
better  proof  do  I  want? 

"  Wlien  we  got  back  to  the  encampment  the  tide  had  begun  to 
fall.  This  indicated  that,  if  we  would  get  away  to-day,  we  must 
make  haste.  The  tuples  I  found  all  struck,  and  every  thing  ready 
for  departure.  I  made  the  observations  which  commence  this 
day's  record,  and  then  we  were  ready  for  our  homeward  voyage 
by  way  of  Kingaite  side.  What  deep  regrets  thus  to  depart  from 
this  interesting  land  that  I  have  denominated  Greenwood's  Land !" 


412  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Departure  from  Greenwood  Land. — Numerous  Rocks. — Furious  Tides. — Narrow 
Escape. — Preservation  Island. — Beginning  of  Winter. — Ice  forming. — Autlior's 
Illness. — Visits  the  principal  Islands  at  Head  of  the  Bay. — Koojcsse  a  skillful 
Ruatman. — Another  critical  Position. — Nearly  wrecked. — Saved  by  the  rising 
Tide. — Departure  homeward. — The  Kingaite  Coast. — Boisterous  Weather. — De- 
tained on  a  rugged  Island. — Renew  the  Voyage. — Difficulties  with  the  Innuit 
Crew. — Freedom  and  Independence. — Land,  and  make  eighteenth  Encani]iniont. 

My  desire  was  to  have  continued  here  mucli  longer,  and  thor- 
oughly to  have  examined  the  vicinity  of  the  natural  "  Gateway" 
already  mentioned ;  but  my  companions  were  urgent  to  go,  and  I 
was  obliged  to  yield.  Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  Septem- 
ber Gtb,  1861,  our  tuples  were  struck,  and  we  set  out  on  the  return 
journey. 

It  was  9  37  A.M.  when  we  left  our  fifteenth  encampment,  and 
at  ten  o'clock  we  landed  Koojesse  and  Koodloo  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  estuary.  They  were  desirous  of  going  on  another 
tuktoo  hunt  across  the  mountains,  and  were  to  rejoin  us  at  the 
place  where  our  tbirteenth  encampment  had  been  made,  the  point 
to  which  we  were  now  bound.  There  were  thus  left  in  the  boat 
with  me  only  the  three  women  of  my  crew,  and  I  was  n^t  free 
from  anxiety  till  we  had  passed  a  point  of  land  which  I  called  the 
"Little  Peak,"  and  which  was  by  the  water's  edge,  surrounded 
by  dangerous  shoals.  Then  I  supposed  we  had  got  over  the  crit- 
ical portion  of  our  way. 

When  abreast  of  the  fourteenth  encampment,  and  near  a  small 
island  about  one  mile  from  that  station,  I  found  we  were  being 
carried  along  by  the  ebbing  tide  at  a  rapid  rate,  but  I  then  appre- 
hended no  danger,  Suzhi,  who  was  experienced  in  boating,  joy- 
ously called  my  attention  to  the  swiftness  of  our  progress,  saying, 
with  a  sweeping  motion  of  her  hand,  ^^  pe-e-xikc  T  (good).  But 
soon  this  feeling  of  pleasure  was  destroyed.  It  was  not  five  min- 
utes after  Suzhi's  exclamation  when  we  were  all  struggling  for 
dear  life. 

The  island  wo  were  approaching  was  small,  and  it  seemed  to  us 
that  it  mattered  little  on  which  side  of  it  we  should  pass.     On 


NARROW  ESCArE.      .  413 

standing  up,  however,  and  looking  ahead,  tliis  opinion  was  changed. 
I  saw.  that  rocks  began  to  peer  out  in  the  channel  between  the 
island  and  the  main  land,  and  we  therefore  steered  for  the  other 
channel.  But  all  at  once,  and  only  half  a  mile  ahead,  rocks  ap- 
peared above  water  right  in  our  course.  This  led  us  quickly  to 
look  over  the  boat's  side,  to  see  if  we  could  see  the  bottom.  To 
our  dismay,  jagged  rocks  showed  them'^elves  almost  within  I'eack 
of  our  hands,  the  boat  meanwhile  carried  along  at  a  mill-race 
speed  by  a  fierce  rushing  tide.  It  was  enough  to  make  one  feel 
bow  feeble  a  creature  man  is  at  such  a  time.  The  Innuits  were 
terribly  alarmed  at  the  sight  ahead  and  under  us.  The  rocks 
showed  how  fearfully  fast  we  were  going.  On  smooth  water  the 
speed  is  not  so  perceptible;  but  where  objects,  and  especially 
dangerous  objects,  are  visible  ahead,  around,  and  under  you,  such 
swift  motion  is  not  only  seen,  but  felt.  So  it  was  then  with  us. 
Immediate  action,  however,  was  necessary;  and  seeing  what  I 
thought  to  be  an  eddy  not  far  off,  I  at  once  turned  the  boat's  head 
in  that  direction. 

By  the  time  we  reached  this  eddy  we  had  been  swept  down 
some  distance,  and  in  order  to  clear  the  threatened  danger  from 
the  rapids  ahead,  I  reversed  our  course,  and  tried  to  pull  back. 
The  tide  was  now  fulling  rapidly,  and  we  rowed  for  our  lives ; 
but  all  we  could  do  was  to  hold  our  own.  Our  greatest  exertions 
could  not  advance  us  one  step  away  from  the  danger.  Every 
moment  I  looked  over  the  boat's  side  to  sec  how  liir  we  might 
hope  to  escape  the  rocks,  and  it  was  truly  awful  as  I  caught  sight 
of  what  was  beneath  us.  The  tide  was  rushing  as  if  in  the  mad- 
dest fury.  We  could  not  clear  ourselves.  Our  strength  was  fast 
failing,  and  if  the  boat  were  allowed  for  a  moment  to  sweep  with 
the  tide,  we  should  be  lost.  No  chance  seemed  possible  unless  we 
could  make  the  island  itself.  But  how  to  reach  it  was  the  ques- 
tion. The  tide  rushed  along  its  side  as  fiercely  as  where  we  then 
were,  with  a  noise  which  could  be  heard  in  all  directions.  Still, 
we  had  no  alternative. 

Placing  the  boat's  head  in  such  an  oblique  direction  as  to  make 
allowance  for  the  current,  we  pulled  toward  a  bight  of  the  island, 
where  there  seemed  to  be  smoother  water.  The  next  moment, 
Iiowcver,  the  boat  was  whirled  round,  stem  for  stern,  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  take  all  power  out  of  our  hands.  Then  again  we 
thought  ourselves  lost;  but  the  very  movement  which  thus  terri- 
fied us  really  threw  us  into  such  a  position  that  a  few  strong 


414 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


A   DMPKBATE  PULL. 


pulls  sent  the  boat  within  that  island  cove,  where  all  was  still  as 
a  summer  lake.  "  Ueaven  be  praised !"  said  I;  and  there  was  oc- 
casion for  gratitude,  for  not  ten  minutes  after  nearly  all  the  rocks 
in  the  course  we  had  made  were  above  water.  Soon  after  getting 
on  shore,  the  boat  was  left  high  and  dry  by  the  receding  tide,  and 
in  another  hour  we  could  see  the  bottom  of  the  bay  for  miles,  one 
mass  of  boulder  and  shingle.  The  different  islands  could  now  be 
visited  by  walking  to  them  dry-shod.  No  ship,  and  hardly  a 
boat,  except  with  much  care,  could  venture  up  this  side  of  the 
bay.  It  was  only  by  watching,  and  taking  advantage  of  the  tide, 
that  even  our  small  boat  could  be  navigated  to  the  head  of  Fro- 
bisher  Bay. 

I  may  here  mention  the  singular  action  of  the  tides.  While  on 
our  way  hither  I  had  heard  the  roar  of  waters,  as  if  a  heavy  surf 
were  beating  on  the  shore,  and  I  several  times  asked  Suzhi  what 
it  meant.  Ilcr  reply  was  "7fr?--n"-o,"  meaning  "the  sea;"  but  as 
no  severe  storm  had  raged  sufficiently  to  cause  such  an  uproar  of 
the  waters,  I  replied, "  Tarrioke  na-vic.  Koonj!" — not  the  sea;  it 
is  the  river.  Thereupon  she  appealed  to  her  companions,  both 
of  whom  confirmed  her  statement,  saying  it  was  the  sea.  When 
we  were  upon  the  island  I  was  convinced  that  they  were  right. 
The  sea  —  that  is,  the  waters  of  the  bay  —  came  rushing  up  on 
the  flood  tide,  and  went  out  with  the  ebb  in  the  impetuous 
manner  already  described.  It  will  bo  recollected  that  I  doubt- 
ed Koojesse's  judgment  on  the  day  wo  left  our  twelfth  encamp- 
ment, and  crossed  with  a  view  of  proceeding  to  Aggoun.    lie  ob- 


DANGEROUS  TIDES.  415 

jected  to  making  the  attempt,  asserting  that  there  would  be  diffi- 
culty in  doing  it,  owing  to  the  shallow  water  and  the  tides.  1 
now  knew  that  he  was  right,  and  I  well  understood  why  the  In- 
nuits  dreaded  the  trip,  and  held  back.  In  commemoration  of  our 
providential  escape,  I  called  this  place  "  Preservation  Island." 

Wc  remained  on  that  island  six  hours,  and  at  6  P.M.  resumed 
our  trip.  I  found  that  the  tide  was  quite  eight  feet  higher  when 
wc  left  than  when  wc  put  in  to  our  place  of  refuge.  How  it  could 
be  so,  and  still  be  rushing  past  the  island  with  such  velocity  that 
little  headway  could  be  made  against  it,  I  can  not  explain.  When 
the  tide  turned  from  ebb  to  flood  we  could  sec  it  coming  in  afar 
off.  Its  roar  was  like  that  of  the  sea  raging  iu  a  storm.  On  it 
came  with  great  volume  and  velocity.  A  person  situated  mid- 
way between  some  of  the  islands  about  there  when  a  flood  tide  is 
commencing  would  have  to  run  at  full  five  miles  an  hour  to  es- 
cape being  overwhelmed.  The  flood  tide,  indeed,  seemed  even 
swifter  than  the  ebb.  How  long  and  anxiously  I  stood  on  Pres- 
ervation Island,  watching  that  incoming  of  the  mighty  waters ! 
How  I  gazed  at  the  boiling  and  the  seething,  the  whirlpools — 
watcrfixUs — mill-races  made  by  the  tide  as  it  rushed  along  I  The 
sun  was  fast  sinking  brhind  the  mountains  of  Kingaite,  and  the 
air  was  becoming  cold.  I  once  thought  we  should  have  to  stay 
there  for  the  night,  but  it  was  evident  that  such  a  course  would  be 
our  destruction,  as  the  island  would  undoubtcdl  f  be  submerged 
at  high  water.  Waiting,  therefore,  would  not  do ;  and,  according- 
ly, we  pushed  off  at  the  time  I  have  mentioned. 

My  continued  illness  made  me  almost  incapable  of  exertion ; 
yet  it  was  necessary  to  work,  and  to  work  hard.  I  steered  the 
boat,  and  also  aided  Tunukdcrlien  at  the  oar  nearest  me.  I  had 
constantly  to  keep  a  good  look-out  ahead  for  shoals.  These,  how- 
ever, were  foam-crested,  showing  where  danger  was  to  be  avoided. 
And  thus  on  we  went,  pulling  rapidly  down  to  the  point  of  des- 
tination under  difficulties  that  few  can  understand.  Darkness 
coming  on,  our  bark  a  frail  boat,  our  crew  Innuit  women,  and 
myself  almost  incapacitated  by  illness,  it  is  easier  to  imagine  than 
to  describe  my  feelings  while  we  were  thus  makin  ^  the  passage 
from  the  head  of  Frobisher  Bay  to  the  place  where  our  whole 
party  had  to  encamp. 

Suzhi  was  so  powerful  at  lier  oar  that  she  often  pulled  the  boat 
half  round,  and  I  had  to  guard  against  this  by  my  twenty-two 
feet  steering-oar.    But  all  were  earnest  in  the  endeavor  to  reach 


416  AUCTIC  RESEARCH  EXrEDITION. 

a  good  landing  before  the  tide  again  turned ;  for  if  we  should  not 
accomplish  this,  nothing,  in  all  human  probability,  could  save  us. 

At  length  we  arrived  in  safety  at  the  place  of  our  thirteenth 
encampment,  the  point  wo  desired  to  reach,  and  where  we  now 
made  our  sixteenth  encampment.  Here  most  of  the  company 
were  awaiting  our  arrival. 

On  the  7th  of  September  I  kept  myself  quiet ;  indeed,  I  was 
obliged  to  do  so.  The  abscess  on  my  shoulder  was  so  painful 
that  1  could  not  stir  without  difficulty.  I  thought  of  the  many 
obstacles  I  had  encountered  in  the  prosecution  of  my  discoveries, 
but  consoled  myself  with  the  refleetion  that,  at  all  events,  some- 
thing had  been  done  since  my  leaving  the  United  States.  Over- 
whelmed with  disap{)ointment  at  not  being  able  to  proceed  on  my 
voyage  to  King  William's  Land,  I  yet  had  some  gratiiication  in 
the  knowledge  that  my  present  voj'age  had  not  been  wholly  lost. 
I  had,  at  least,  established  a  geographical  fact  that  "  Frobisher 
Strait"  is  nothing  but  a  hay.  While  I  was  reclining  on  my  couch 
suffering  severe  pain,  I  said  to  myself.  Perhaps  the  kind  friends  at 
home,  who  have  helped  me  in  my  exertions,  may  consider  that, 
under  all  the  circumstances,!  have  not  thrown  away  my  time  and 
labor,  and  may  still  give  mc  their  friendship  and  support.  If  so, 
I  shall  be  well  repaid. 

This  day  "  Miner"  and  his  crew  departed  for  the  purpose  of 
bunting  more  game  and  securing  furs  for  the  winter.  The  males 
of  my  party — much  to  my  annoyance — had  left  me  two  days  be- 
fore, on  the  chase. 

On  the  next  day,  September  8th,  I  felt  that  winter  had  indeed 
begun.  Ice  formed  at  night,  and  a  severe  snow-storm  that  morn- 
ing set  in.  We  were  still  detained  by  Koojesse  and  his  comrades, 
who  continued  absent;  and  for  two  days  I  was  confined  to  my 
tent,  with  only  occasional  walks  in  the  vicinity.  On  the  10th  of 
September  I  went  over  the  mountains  westward  to  make  a  sur- 
vey, as  far  as  possible,  of  the  whole  of  this  locality.  On  my  route 
I  met  Koojesse  and  Koodloo,  just  returning  from  their  four  days' 
hunt.  Koojesse  was  so  much  fatigued  that  he  could  hardly  speak. 
Both  of  them  had  packs  of  skins  upon  their  backs,  which  they 
soon  threw  off,  and  then  sat  down  to  rest.  Their  first  call  was 
for  tobacco,  but,  much  to  their  disappointment,  I  had  none  with 
me.  Poor  fellows !  they  had  been  without  a  "smoke"  or  a  "chew" 
for  two  days,  and  were  suffering  much  from  the  want  of  it. 

I  found  that  Koojesse  had  the  skins  of  four  tuktoo,  and  Kood- 


ANOTMKU  BOAT  SCENE.  417 

loo  of  three.  For  these  seven  skins  they  had  been  four  da3's  and 
three  nights  out,  aseending  mountains,  wading  rivers,  sleeping 
out  in  snow-storms,  their  garments  wet,  with  no  spare  ones  to 
put  on,  and  exposed  to  every  change  and  privation.  These  In- 
nuits  do  indeed  toil  for  their  winter  clothing.  I  a.sked  Koojesse 
how  they  .nanaged  in  such  stormy  weather  as  we  had  experienced, 
and  with  the  nights  so  dark,  lie  replied  that  when  each  had 
killed  one  or  two  deer,  they  were  all  right.  They  stacked  their 
guns,  or,  if  near  rocks,  selected  a  suitn'^lc  spot  for  a  temporary 
tupic,  made  of  the  skins  with  the  liair-side  in.  They  then  wrap- 
ped themselves  in  a  tuktoo  skin,  and  so  slepr  warm  and  soundly. 
Helping  them  with  their  burdens  as  far  as  my  weak  state  would 
permit,  I  continued  on  my  trip  of  observation  and  discovery,  while 
the  two  Innuits  returned  to  the  encampment,  where,  much  to  their 
vexation,  they  learned  from  the  woman  that  a  bear  had  been  seen 
close  by.  My  walk  alone,  of  six  miles  or  more,  resulted  in  my 
making  the  discovery  of  the  two  streams  which  flow  into  the  Bay 
of  the  Two  Rivers. 

That  night  another  severe  snow-storm  came  on  from  the  south- 
cast,  and  toward  noon  of  the  11th  the  wind  shifted  to  the  north- 
west. The  weather  then  moderated,  and  I  set  out  in  the  boat, 
accompanied  by  Koojesse  and  Koodloo,  for  the  pur])ose  of  visiting 
tlie  islands  inclosing  a  kind  of  harbor,  on  the  shores  of  which  we 
were  encamped.  The  wind  was  blowing  strong  in  our  favor,  and 
we  therefore  made  sail,  intending  to  keep  under  canvas  the  whole 
way.  We  had  only  one  oar  available,  the  rest  having  been  used 
as  frames  for  the  tupics.  As  wc  sailed  along,  how  exhilarating 
was  the  scene !  The  boat  seemed  to  fly,  so  buoyantly  it  sped  on 
its  way.  Koojesse  steered,  and  well  did  he  guide  us  between 
rocks  and  sand-spits  in  our  course.  Bounding  over  the  crested 
waves,  and  lifting  itself  clear  of  every  thing  but  spray,  our  frail 
bark  soon  carried  us  to  tlie  point  I  wished  to  reach.  It  was  on 
the  cast  side  of  the  harbor,  on  Bishop's  Island,  that  I  landed  with 
Koojesse,  while  Koodloo  remained  in  the  boat  to  keep  it  from 
grounding,  as  the  tide  was  already  on  the  turn,  and  going  out 
swiftly. 

Our  steps  were  rapid  as  we  went  over  the  banks  of  snow,  up 
one  hill,  then  across  a  valley,  and  thence  up  to  the  crest  of  anoth- 
er hill — Mount  Observation,  as  I  called  it — whence  I  could  obtain 
a  good  view.  Here  I  took  several  observations,  as  fast  as  I  well 
could,  noting  thcrn  down  at  the  time.     The  view  from  this  point 

Dd 


418 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


was  extensive.  It  included  the  whole  coast  that  terminates  Fro- 
bisher  Bay.  I  embraced  that  as  the  la.st  opportunity  I  would 
have  of  linking  together,  by  the  use  of  my  survey  instruments, 
many  important  places  in  that  locality.  Some  of  the  observations 
I  there  made  for  relative  geographical  positions  include  the  fol- 
lowing points :  the  Great  Gateway ;  Hazard's  Banks,  place  of  fif- 
teenth encampment;  Peale  Point;  place  of  twelfth  encampment, 
by  Sylvia  Grinnell  River ;  place  of  fourteenth  encampment;  place 
of  thirteenth  and  sixteenth  encampments ;  island  "  Frobisher's 
Farthest;"  and  a  long  line  of  coast  down  on  the  Kingaite  side. 

Having  accomplished  my  purpose,  we  then  quickly  returned  to 
the  boat.  Again  we  made  sail ;  but  hardly  had  we  started,  when, 
in  an  instant,  we  were  aground.  Out  jumped  Koojesse,  who,  with 
two  or  three  good  "  heaves,^^  cleared  the  shore,  and  once  more  away 
we  went.  But  soon — ahead,  here,  there,  every  where — shoals  aji- 
peared.  Koojesso,  however,  now  showed  himself  to  possess  much 
of  the  daring  and  fearlessness  of  a  skillful  sailor.  He  was  the 
wild  spirit  guiding  ut:  safely  through  many  dangers.  Ilis  skill, 
however,  could  not  save  "is  from  a  peril  into  which  we  now  ran, 
and  out  of  which  we  escaped  only  by  the  care  of  a  merciful  Prov- 
idence. The  tide  proved  too  strong  for  us,  and  we  found  our- 
selves, near  nightfall,  driven  oii  a  small  rocky  island  of  the  harbor 
by  our  sixteenth  encampment.  We  at  length  made  our  slow  and 
tedious  way  in  the  midst  of  a  strong  gale,  among  dangerous  shoals 
and  threatening  waves.  At  times,  driven  out  of  our  course  by  the 
force  of  the  wind,  we  would  lose  all  the  gi'ound  we  had  gained, 
finding  ourselves  really  ftirther  from  home  than  when  we  started ; 
and  at  last  we  were  on  the  point  of  giving  up  in  despair  of  reach- 
ing our  encampment  that  night,  when  the  tide  turned.  Even  with 
this  favoring  us,  we  sped  along  in  imminent  peril ;  and  now, 
while  I  write,  the  thought  of  that  moment  comes  to  me  with  a 
thrill  of  excitement.  As  we  flew  over  a  rocky  bottom  that  al- 
most kissed  our  keel,  I  exchanged  looks  witli  my  companions 
that  expressed  more  than  words  could  have  said ;  and  as  now 
and  then  our  boat  woul«l  ride  with  a  shock  upon  some  boulder  in 
its  course,  all  hands  would  v/ork  with  a  silent  energy  which  sj)oko 
volumes  regarding  the  critical  posture  of  our  affairs.  Our  satis- 
faction and  my  gratitude  may  be  imagined  when  we  at  last  reach- 
ed the  spot  we  called  home,  and  found  hot  coffee,  besides  all  the 
comforts  of  Innuit  life,  awaiting  us  at  the  hands  of  Suzhi. 

Thursday,  September  12th,  was  the  thirty-fifth  day  from  the 


RETURN  VOYAGE.  419 

ship  and  the  seventh  at  the  sixteenth  encampment.  On  that 
morning  I  determined  no  longer  to  delay,  but  at  once  to  return  to 
the  George  Henry  (if  she  had  not  sailed),  going  down  by  the  Kin- 
gaite  side  of  Frobisher  Bay.  Accordingly,  at  10  A.M.  we  all  start- 
ed on  our  homeward  journey.  The  tide  at  starting  was  just 
sufficient  to  float  us  over  the  rocks,  and  we  had  a  breeze  to  help 
us,  but  the  weather  was  unfavorable.  In  some  oes  we  could 
see  a  snow-storm  raging,  and  every  sign  of  wintt  as  now  per- 
ceptible. Our  trip  that  day  was  along  the  KingaiLO  coast,  and 
after  a  few  hours'  sail  wc  reached  an  island  I  have  named  Twer- 
oong,*  on  which.  Miner's  party  had  encamped,  w  .lere  we  also 
pitched  our  tents  for  the  night,  making  our  seventeenth  encamp- 
ment. 

The  next  day  (September  13th)  wc  were  confined  to  our  tents 
on  a  small  rocky  island  by  a  heavy  gale  and  a  furious  sea;  but 
on  the  14th  the  weather  became  more  moderate,  and  we  resumed 
our  boat-voyage,  crossing  over  from  the  Island  to  Cape  Eammels- 
berg,f  on  the  Kingaite  side,  that  I  might  examine  it. 

While  we  were  there,  a  fine-looking  tuktoo  was  discovered  ly- 
ing on  one  of  the  little  plains.  Kooperncung  at  once  went  off" 
witli  his  double-barreled  gun  to  secure  it.  I  could  see  the  royal 
antlers  of  the  noble  animal  as  it  quietly  reposed,  uneonscious  of 
its  fiite.  As  Kooperncung  a[)proached  it  scented  a  foe,  started 
up,  and  away  it  went  at  full  speed ;  but  too  late.  One  report — 
another.  The  tuktoo  was  a  prize,  having  rushed  on  its  fate  in  flee- 
ing toward  a  rocky  pass  where  the  cunning  Innuit  had  secreted 
himself. 

We  made  our  eighteenth  encampment  about  four  or  five  miles 
from  this  place,  at  Cape  Caldwell,:}:  and  on  the  morning  of  Sep- 
tember 15th  proceeded  on  our  way.  I  may  here  observe,  that 
few  of  those  who  road  this  book  can  have  any  conception  of 
tlie  many  difficulties  I  had  to  encounter  in  my  task.  Innuits 
are  Innuits,  and  such  they  ever  will  be.  They  are  independent 
of  every  other  human  being,  and  will  never  brook  control,  no 
matter  what  engagements  they  enter  iiito.  At  this  particular 
time  of  which  I  am  writing — and,  indeed,  during  all  my  w^ork  at 

*  After  the  noble-hearted  Innuit  woman  Tweroong.  This  island,  place  of  our 
seventeenth  encampment,  is  in  hit.  03'^  28'  N.,  lonp.  08°  21'  W. 

t  Named  after  Fredericlv  Uammclsbcrg,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  This  cape  is  in  lat. 
03°  21'  30"  N.,  loHR.  G8°  20'  W. 

X  I  have  named  this  cape  after  John  D.  Caldwell,  of  Cincinnati,  Oliio.  It  is  in 
lat.  G3°  23'  30"  N.,  long.  G8°  17'  W. 


420  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

the  head  of  Frobisher  Bay,  and  on  my  way  thither  and  back — I 
was  completely  at  the  mercy  of  Koojesso  and  his  companions. 
He  especially  would  do  just  as  he  pleased ;  and  if  I  attempted  to 
show  opposition  or  express  a  determination  to  do  as  /might  wish, 
ominous  looks  and  sharp  words  met  me.  Several  times  I  felt 
obliged  to  submit,  for  I  knew  my  life  was  wholly  in  their  hands. 
When  Koojesse,  who  steered  the  boat,  was  directing  our  course 
away  from  the  Kingaite  side,  and  when  I  requested  him  to  re- 
main where  I  wi.°hed  to  make  an  examination,  he  curtly  and  even 
savagely  replied,  "  You  stop ;  I  go."  I  was  forced  to  smother  my 
anger,  and  submit  to  the  mortification  of  being  obliged  to  yield 
before  these  untamed  children  of  the  icy  North.  Keflection  has, 
however,  convinced  me  that  I  can  hardly  blame  them,  as  I  then 
felt  inclined.  They  are  born  free  as  their  native  wilds ;  they  have 
no  one  to  control  or  cheek  them  ;  they  roam  about  as  they  will ; 
and,  while  they  have  to  find  subsistence  as  best  they  can,  it  would 
be  almost  too  much  to  expect  any  subservience  from  them  to  a 
stranger,  especially  when  he  is  alone.  They  are  in  so  many  points 
naturally  noble  in  their  character,  and  I  received  so  much  kind- 
ness at  their  hands,  that  it  would  be  unjust  to  make  their  obsti- 
nate self-will,  when  on  excursions  with  me,  a  cause  of  great  com- 
plaint. I  mention  the  matter,  however,  to  show  that  I  was  unable 
to  accomplish  as  much  as  I  wished,  owing  to  this  very  cause. 


INNUIT  OBSTINACY.  421 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Continue  the  Voyage. — Land  on  an  Island. — Innuit  InBolence. — Leave  Kingaitc 
Coast  for  the  North  Side  of  the  Buy  of  Frobisher. — Arrive  at  nineteenth  Encamp- 
ment.— Innuit  Superstition. — E.\traordinary  Scenes. — Singular  Customs. — Twen- 
tiet'.i  Encampment. — Drinking  Deer's  Blood. — Twenty-first  Encampment. — 
More  Ankooting. — Mystical  Songs. — "Fool's  Gold." — Parting  with  old  Too-loo- 
ka-ah. — Arrival  at  Niountelik. — Proceed  to  Kodlunarn,  or  "White  Man's"  Isl- 
and.— Important  Discoveries. — Ship's  Trench. — liuins  of  Stone  Houses. — Coal 
and  Tile. — lleturn  to  Niountelik  and  encamp. — Next  Day's  Search. — Cruise  in 
"  Countess  of  Warwick  Sound." — The  American  Flag  again  upraised. — Arrive 
at  Tikkoon. — Discovery  of  a  heavy  Piece  of  Iron. — Passage  across  the  Sound. — 
Strong  Breeze. — Proceed  up  Victoria  Bay. — Magnificent  Scenery. — Precipitous 
Mountains. — A  Cave. — A  Seal  Jloatimj  on  the  Waters. — Ekkelczhun. — A  fine  and 
secure  Harbor. — Discovery  of  several  Tons  of  Coal  and  Flint-stones. — Return  to 
Niountelik. 

That  the  reader  may  bo  advancing  witli  mc  as  I  proceed  with 
my  narrative,  and,  at  the  same  time,  get  an  idea  of  some  of  the 
trials  referred  to  near  the  close  of  the  preceding  chapter,  I  will 
here  introduce  the  following  extracts  directly  from  my  "  rough- 
and-ready"  note-book,  written  at  the  moment  and  upon  the  spur 
of  the  occasion : 

^^  August  loi/i,  1861.  Start  from  eighteenth  encampment  at  6  15 
A.M.,  wind  light  from  the  west,  and  cloudy.  Both  boats  and  the 
two  kias  under  way.  'Miner'  has  just  shot  a  nowyer  on  the 
wing  from  his  kia.  First  pop,  down  it  comes.  We  are  on  the 
rocks  first  thing;  'bad  beginning,  good  ending.'  Under  oars; 
the  fifth  oar  can  not  be  used  on  account  of  the  overloaded  boat. 
Another  Job's  comforter  on  my  shoulder,  the  sinister.  Geese  fly- 
ing to  the  southward.  Little  girl  Shoo-kok  (whalebone)  on  board 
our  boat.  8  45  A.M.,  land  on  a  small  island  to  bail  the  old  leaky 
boat.  This  moment  I  ask  Koojesse  which  way  now,  the  many 
islands  ahead  making  it  doubtful  which  is  the  better  course.  He 
points  across  the  bay  to  the  other  or  north  side.  I  suspected  this 
was  the  way  he  was  directing  the  boat.  He  acts  the  devil  with 
me.  My  work  on  this,  the  Kingaite  side,  is  ended.  I  said  to  him 
I  can  not  do  the  work  I  wanted  to.     •»    *    *    * 

"  I  must  submit,  hard  as  it  is.    Why  did  not  the  fellow  tell  me 


422  ARCTIC  KESEAliClI  EXPEDITION. 

this  morning  what  he  was  intending  to  do?  A  few  of  the  In- 
nuits  concert  and  act  without  saying  one  word  to  nic.  I  will  try 
and  settle  accounts  with  them  when  I  get  to  the  ship,  especially 
with  Koojcssc.  This  I  write  in  my  note-book  as  I  stand  on  this 
rocky,  tide-washed  island,  in  the  midst  of  a  snow-storm,  every 
thing  around  closed  from  my  view.  Now  the  thickness  lifts  a 
little,  I  proceed  to  triangulate.  Start  8  20  A.M.  Really  I  never 
took  such  insolence  from  any  white  man,  nor  will  I  while  I  have 
a  right  arm  to  defend  my  honor,  as  I  took  from  Koojessc  when 
he  told  me  a  few  moments  ago  that  7  could  stop  and  go  along 
down  Kingaite  side.  *  *  *  *  He  knows  that  I  am  in  his 
and  his  Innuit  friends'  power,  and  he  uses  it.  *  *  *  *  But 
I  am  silent  in  words;  a  thundering,  however,  is  going  on  within. 
Its  mutterings  will  be  kept  till  I  get  to  the  ship,  if  1  ever  do.  1 
must  say  that  I  believe  my  life  is  in  danger;  but  God  is  with  mo 
here  and  every  where.  If  I  die  at  the  hands  of  this  treacherous 
people,  I  die  in  faith  that  I  am  in  the  performance  of  my  duty. 
God  deliver  me  from  such  scenes  as  I  have  witnessed  among  the 
men  Iiniuits  I  have  with  me.  Consultations,  savaje  looks,  are 
now  and  then  to  be  seen.     *    *    *    * 

"  The  sooner  I  am  back  the  better.  There  may  be  a  time  when 
I  can  again  enter  this  bay  to  do  the  work  for  which  I  engaged  my 
present  company,  but  it  will  have  to  be  with  a  company  of  civil- 
ized men. 

"Nine  A.M.,  now  crossing  toward  a  long,  high  island  that 
trends  in  the  same  direction  as  Ki-ki-tuk-ju-a  (Frobisher's  Far- 
thest). The  head  of  Frobisher  Bay  not  seen  now,  the  sea  or  wa- 
ter of  the  bay  to  the  northwest  being  the  horizon.  A  remarkable 
sand  or  fossil  mountain  island,  by  Kingaite  side,  two  miles  oft"  at 
our  right,  bearkig  W.N.W.  by  compass  ;  I  can  not  determine  its 
true  character  with  'spy.'  A  line  of  islands  now  seen  that  runs 
across  Frobisher  Bay  from  Frobisher's  Farthest  to  Kingaite  side. 
The  trend  I  will  determine  soon,  and  make  a  record  of  it. 

"  Snow-squall  continued  but  four  minutes.  Very  cloudy.  Sun 
shining  occasionally  on  the  mountains  each  side  of  Frobisher  Bay. 
*  *  *  *  Stop  at  meridian  on  an  island  after  pa.ssing  through 
a  channel,  the  island  of  the  group  running  from  Fi'obisher's  Far- 
thest to  Kingaite,  and  here  ascended  a  high  hill  to  triangulate. 

11 -»  *  *  *  ^g  ^c  came  up  the  channel  between  the  isl- 
ands that  lie  across  the  Bay  of  Frobisher,  found  the  tide  (which 
was  ebbing)  to  run  very  swiftly.    Made  no  headway  for  full  half 


AN-KOO-TING.  423 

an  hour,  though  under  sail  and  oars.  Through  tliia  channel  the 
ebbing  tide  was  running  toward  the  head  ol"  Frobishcr  Bay — a 
curious  feature,  but  accounted  for  by  the  position  of  the  islands 
each  side  the  channel." 

After  spending  half  an  hour  on  the  island,  wc  directed  our 
course  for  the  north  side  of  the  bay,  which  we  made  in  one  liour ; 
tliencc  we  coasted  along  toward  liae's  Point,  where  we  arrived  at 
;]  15  P.M.,  and  made  our  nineteenth  encampment  at  the  place  of 
our  ninth. 

During  the  evening  the  Innuits  fired  many  salutes,  and  there 
was  clearly  some  demonstration  making,  though  I  could  not  tell 
whether  it  was  to  invite  the  good  spirits  or  to  repel  the  bad,  of 
whose  presence  thereabouts  I  suppose  the  angeko  had  told  them. 

It  would  seem  from  the  shouts  of  men,  women,  and  children, 
and  the  rcports'of  the  guns,  as  if  the  4th  of  July  had  come  again. 
Jack's  wife  kept  up  a  kind  of  shouting  and  howling  till  past  mid- 
night. After  she  had  continued  it  for  over  two  hours,  with  a  voice 
that  made  the  mountains  about  ring,  Jack  joined  her,  he  being 
an  angeko.  At  midnight  there  was  a  round  of  guns.  Charley 
was  in  the  same  tupic  as  myself,  having  been  asleep  until  the  fir- 
ing aroused  him.  lie  sprang  up,  and  "was  but  a  moment  in  get- 
ting ready  to  join  his  people.  Soon  Jack,  with  his  howling  wife, 
came  down  from  the  hill  where  they  were,  and  marched  around, 
keeping  uj)  the  same  hideous  noises — so  loud  and  broken,  that 
only  throats  of  brass,  and  cracked  ones  too,  could  equal  them.  It 
was  a  miserable,  sleepless  night  for  me — in  Bedlam,  and  racked 
with  pains. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  the  mountains  of  Kingaitc  is  that  they 
arc  covered  with  snow,  whiie  those  on  the  op])osite  side  of  the 
bay,  near  the  coast,  are  wholly  destitute  of  it.  On  arriving  at  the 
latter  from  Kingaite  I  at  once  felt  the  great  difference  of  temper- 
ature, it  being  much  warmer. 

I  may  here  mention,  as  another  illustratioiii  of  the  peculiar  cus- 
toms of  the  Innuits,  that  when  they  kill  a  reindeer,  after  skinning 
it,  they  proceed  to  cut  off  bits  of  different  parts  of  the  animal,  and 
bury  them  under  a  sod,  moss,  stone,  or  whatever  happens  to  be 
at  the  exact  spot  where  the  deer  was  shot.  On  two  occasions  I 
noticed  this.  Once  they  cut  off  a  piece  of  the  paunch,  then  a  bit 
of  the  nose,  next 'a  portion  of  the  meat,  skin,  and  fat,  burying 
these  portions  together,  as  just  described.  I  asked  one  of  them  if 
such  a  custom  was  always  practised  by  the  Innuits  when  they 


424  AUCTIC  UESEAUCII  EXl'EUITION. 

killed  tuktoo,  and  the  answer,  given  in  a  very  serious  tone,  was 
that  it  had  always  been  so. 

On  the  previous  day,  when  Charley  killed  the  deer  at  our  eight- 
eenth encampment,  I  noticed  that,  on  its  being  skinned,  there  was 
a  greenish  appearance  about  the  legs  and  lower  parts  of  the  body. 
This  made  me  remark  to  Koojes.so  that  I  thought  the  tuktoo  must 
have  been  sick,  lie  said  "  no ;"  but  that  the  peculiar  look  was 
from  the  deer's  having  been  swimming  much  of  late  in  the  cold 
water  of  the  bay,  during  his  passage  from  point  to  point. 

The  following  day,  September  16th,  we  resumed  our  voyage, 
but  could  not  get  far,  owing  to  severe  stormy  weather,  wliich  com- 
pelled us  to  make  our  twentieth  encampment  on  Mary's  Island,* 
<jn  the  west  side,  and  at  the  entrance  of  the  inlet  which  I  crossed 
on  the  morning  of  August  19th  {vide  page  383).  Here  wc  were 
detained  two  days,  and  I  was  now  so  enfeebled  by  sickness  that 
it  was  difficult  for  mo  even  to  write.  The  Innuit  women,  particu- 
larly Tweroong,  were  very  attentive  to  me,  but  the  men  seemed 
to  consider  my  suft'erings  as  of  little  importance.  Their  demoniac 
yells,  during  a  continuation  of  the  same  kind  of  exorcisms  al- 
ready described,  were  truly  frightful,  and  to  one  sick  as  I  was  all 
but  maddening. 

Fortunately,  the  next  morning,  September  18th,  wc  were  again 
under  way  on  the  homeward  trip.  A  fair  wind  sent  us  rapidly 
along,  and  we  passed  our  late  encampments,  as  also  many  other 
places  familiar  to  me  from  our  visits  when  coming  up.  At  one 
place — west  side  Waddell  Bay — Koojessc  and  the  other  Innuits 
landed  to  go  in  chase  of  some  deer  seen  in  the  distance.  We 
slowly  followed  in  the  boat,  and  came  to  a  cove  in  the  coast,  where 
we  saw  them  with  a  prize  in  hand.  This  deer — which  made  up 
the  number  thirty-nine  now  killed  by  my  three  hunters — was  a 
very  fine  one,  and  In  a  short  time  we  were  all  feasting  on  portions 
of  its  meat.  When  thic  deer  was  opened,  old  Toolookaah,  with 
his  broad  hand,  scooped  up  the  warm  blood  and  drank  it,  to  the 
(Quantity  of  nearly  two  quarts.  T  joined  in  the  eating,  and  par- 
took of  some  toodnoo  and  marrow,  the  latter  blood-warm,  from 
the  mashed  bones  of  the  tuktoo's  legs.  The  most  delicious  part 
of  the  deer  is  the  toodnoo  or  fat  which  is  on  the  rump,  and  it  is 
this  part  the  Innuits  first  seek.  After  our  feast,  wc  packed  up  the 
remains  and  again  started,  arriving  about  dark  at  the  place  of  our 

♦  So  named  by  me,  after  one  of  the  daiiglitcrs  of  Aiipiistus  II.  Ward,  of  New 
York  City.     Mary's  Island  is  in  lat.  G3°  22'  N.,  long.  G7°  38'  \V. 


KXTRAOKDINAUY  SCKNE.  425 

twenty-first  encampment,  oa  the  south  side  of  Tongue  Cape — the 
same  cape  where  we  had  our  seveiilli. 

The  ibllowiiig  day,  Soi)tember  lOlh,  wc  made  good  progress 
downward,  with  nothing  particukir  to  note  except  the  following 
incident : 

Jack's  wife,  who  was  on  board  pulling  at  an  oar,  was  suddenly 
taken  with  what  I  at  first  supposed  to  be  a  fit.  She  broke  out 
into  the  wild  singing  which  I  have  already  spoken  of  as  pertain- 
ing to  the  practice  of  ankooting.  The  scene  at  that 'moment  in 
the  boat  was  a  strange  One;  .Jack  was  steering,  Annuarping  sat 
close  wedged  by  my  side,  Niiiguarping  was  between  Suzhi  and 
the  angeko^rcsA',  holding  the  little  dog  Xcitch-vk,  two  women  were 
pulling  at  the  oars,  Koodloo  sat  upon  a  huge  pile  of  skins  at  the 
lx)w,  and  the  little  boy  reclined  where  best  he  could.  They  all 
started  into  immediate  action  the  moment  Jack's  wife  began  her 
mystical  song.  As  she  sent  forth  her  unmelodious  voice — her 
lips  sounding  like  so  many  fire-crackers  on  a  4th  of  July  festival 
at  liome — one  and  then  another  of  the  Innuits  took  up  a  respon- 
sive chorus  to  her  incantation.  As  she  sang  in  this  wild  and  sin- 
gular strain,  her  arms  worked  strongm-  at  the  oar,  and  she  seemed 
as  if  suddenly  possessed  of  a  demoniac  strength.  There  was  a 
startling  vehemence  about  her;  and  when  the  others  joined  in 
chorus,  it  was  as  though  unearthly  visitants  had  taken  possession 
of  them  all.  At  night,  when  we  again  encamped,  the  strange  cer- 
emonies were  continued.  Jack  took  up  the  preaching — if  it  can 
be  so  termed — while  the  women  sang,  and  the  men  loudly  re- 
sponded to  their  angeko.  Thus  it  continued  till  a  late  hour,  and, 
with  intermissions,  through  the  two  following  days.  They  seem- 
ed to  regard  it  as  a  duty,  somewhat  as  we  hold  sacred  certain  ob- 
servances on  set  occasions. 

September  20th  and  21st  were  but  a  repetition  of  preceding 
days,  presenting  difliculties  in  getting  the  male  Innuits  to  work  as 
I  wished,  forcing  me  to  submit  in  almost  every  thing.  Perhaps, 
had  I  been  in  robust  health,  I  could  have  managed  them  better, 
but  I  was  too  sick  and  feeble  to  contend.  Once,  when  Koojessc 
acted  in  direct  opposition  to  my  desires,!  turned  upon  him,  and  in 
sharp  tones  insisted  on  his  doing  as  I  wished  about  the  boat.  I 
spoke  firmly,  and  with  a  show  of  determination.  It  had  some 
good  effect.  lie  steered  in  the  direction  I  wanted  to  go,  and  was 
as  friendly  afterward  as  though  no  hard  words  had  passed  be- 
tween us.     All  this  time  the  other  Innuits  continued  at  the  oars, 


426  ARCTIC  KESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

apparently  as  indifferent  as  though  nothing  was  occurring ;  but  I 
must  confess  that  I  myself  did  not  feel  quite  easy  in  my  mind  as 
to  the  possible  consequences. 

On  the  20th  we  had  a  fow  minutes  of  excitement,  which  occur- 
red thus:  Miiier':'  party  had  made  a  landing  before  my  boat  could 
get  up,  and  I  shortly  after  saw  Twcroong  sitting  upon  the  tide- 
washed  rocks  in  such  a  position  that  I  thought  she  must  be  search- 
ing for  some  lost  article.  By  the  time  we  effected  our  landing, 
every  Innuit  of  the  other  party  was  gathered  round  her  in  great 
eoinmotion,  some  of  them  trying  to  brea"k  off  pieces  of  the  rocks 
about.  I  asked  Koojessc  what  all  that  hubbub  meant.  lie  said 
Tweroong  had  {ound  gold/  This  word  started  me  at  once.  I 
threw  my  cloak  from  my  shoulders  and  leaped  over  the  bow, 
landing  on  a  sand-beach  knee-deep  in  sea-water.  I  was  followed 
by  my  whole  crew,  for  I  had  communicated  the  yelloiu  fever  to 
them,  and,  bounding  from  rock  to  rock,  we  arrived  at  the  desired 
spot.  A  huge,  heavy  "  yellow  boy"  was  soon  in  my  hand.  Gold^ 
'jold,  indeed,  was  now  in  the  list  of  my  discoveries  I  Ought  I  not 
to  be  satisfied,  after  all  my  trials  and  perplexities?  But,  on  the 
first  touch  of  my  knife,  I  found  that  I  had  o\\\y  fooVs  gold,  and  I 
brought  away  but  small  specimens  of  this  precious  metal. 

A  short  distance  from  Gold  Cove  we  made  our  twent^'^-third  en- 
campment, on  the  south  side  of  Jones's  Cape,  not  far  from  the 
fourth  encampment.  At  this  place  old  Toolookaah  and  his  wife 
left  our  party,  lie  intended  to  remain  at  that  spot  until  his  son, 
who  was  with  Sampson  up  an  inlet  near  by,  should  return.  I 
made  him  a  present  of  matches  and  tobacco,  and  gave  his  wife  two 
papers  of  needles.  In  parting  with  him  I  said,  "Toolookaah,! 
may  not  sec  you  again.  .So(m  I  shall  go  to  my  own  country — 
America;  but  I  hop  j  by-and-by  to  meet  you  in  Kood-k-par-me- 
uiig  (heaven)."  A  .ovi-  started  in  his  eye  and  trickled  down  his 
iron  face  as  we  pr;ssel  hands  and  said  the  final  word,  '^  Ter-boii- 
c-Ue  r  (farewell.) 

Our  twenty-fourth  encampment  was  made  on  an  island  called 
Oomer-nung,  at  the  entrance  of  WiswcU's  Inlet,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  at  10  A.M.,  we  were  again  under  way  for  Niountelik, 
then  only  a  few  miles  off". 

After  landing  upon  Niountelik,  and  taking  an  observation  of 
the  sun  at  the  spot  where  I  had  first  discovered  the  coal,  we  pro- 
ceeded toward  an  island,  on  which,  according  to  Innuit  tradition, 
the  kodlunas  built  a  small  ship  amasuadlo  (a  great  many)  years  ago. 


IMPORTANT  DISCOVERIES. 


427 


The  heavens  were  cloudless,  there  was  a  fine  breeze  from  the 
northwest,  and  the  boat  bounded  along  rapidly  toward  the  isl- 
and. Around  us  was  high  land,  white  with  its  winter  dress,  and 
beneath,  an  immense  forest  of  sea  vegetation,  over  which  we 
sailed.  We  soon  reached  the  shore,  and  I  immediately  landed 
to  examine  the  place  a^  well  as  the  short  time  at  my  disposal 
would  permit. 

I  soon  came  across  an  excavation,  which  was  probably  the  com- 
mencement of  a  mine  dug  by  Frobisher,  though  the  Innuits,  judg- 
ing only  from  what  they  saw,  called  it  a  reservoir  for  fresh  water, 
a  quantity  of  which  collected  in  it  i-t  certain  seasons.  This  ex- 
cavation was  at  some  distance  from  the  ruins  of  the  stone  houses, 
and  was  eight}'  eight  feet  long  and  six  feet  deep. 

On  the  shore  of  the  north  side  of  the  island  I  found  also  an  ex- 
cavation which  I  called  a  ship's  trench,  for  the  Innuits  said  that 
was  whero  a  ship  had  been  built  by  the  white  men.  It  had  been 
dug  out  of  stone,  which  was  of  such  a  nature  as  to  yield  to  the 
pc ''severing  use  of  pickaxe,  sledge-hammer,  and  the  crowbar. 
Tiie  bottom  of  the  trench,  which  was  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  in 
length,  was  an  inclined  plane,  running  from  the  surface  of  the 
ground  to  a  depth  of  twenty-five  feet  at  the  water's  edge. 


:':^% 


/  ■':>s^'!^^^^m:^^^^^rm'mp" 


;A^«''.i.VW 


ONE  OF  FBOUIBUEB'8  UOLl)   MINKH,  UALLEU   IIY   THU   NATIVES   B1I11>'H   TUENCll. 

On  the  top  of  the  island  I  found  the  ruins  of  a  house,  which  had 
been  built  of  stone,  cemented  together  with  lime  and  sand.  The 
foundation  still  remained,  and  was  of  "  lyme  and  stone."  It  was 
about  twelve  fcct  in  diameter,  and  every  portion  of  it  was  cover- 
ed with  aged  moss.  From  appearances,  some  of  the  stones  had 
been  turned  over,  as  if  done  by  Innuits  seeking  treasure. 

A  few  feet  east  of  this  house  was  a  sort  of  stone  breastwork, 


428  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

such  as  the  natives  erect  for  shelter  when  hunting,  and  also  a  pile 
of  stones,  which  might  have  been  made,  as  I  thought,  by  Fro- 
bisher's  men,  to  cover  some  memorial  left  by  them  when  trying  to 
escape  in  their  ship. 

Much  of  the  island  was  covered  with  shingle,  and  this,  on  the 
north  side,  was  so  compact,  and  of  sucR  even  surface,  that  it  re- 
minded me  of  the  small  cobble-stone  pavements  in  cities. 

I  collected  as  many  relics  from  these  ruins  as  we  could  possi- 
bly carry,  and,  with  Koojesse,  returned  to  the  boat.  On  our  way 
he  said  to  me, 

"  The  men  who  built  the  ship,  and  started  with  it,  all  died — 
died  luith  the  cold" 

I  asked  him  how  he  knew  this ;  and  he  replied  that "  all  the 
old  Innuits  said  so." 

This  agreed  precisely  with  what  old  Ookijoxy  Ninoo  told  me 
the  previous  winter  in  the  oral  history  she  then  communicated  to 
me,  and  I  felt  convinced  that  all  the  evidences  before  me  could 
refer  to  no  other  than  Frobisher's  expedition,  and  the  men  left  be- 
hind by  that  explon^r.  She  said  that  the  five  men  built  a  ship, 
and  found  so  much  ice  that  they  could  not  proceed,  and  finally 
all  froze  to  death. 

This  island  is  generally  called  "AocZ-?(i-?iani,"  because  white  men 
lived  on  it,  and  built  stone  houses,  and  also  a  ship.  The  ship  was 
built  for  the  object  of  escaping  from  this  region.  In  the  previ- 
ous winter,  while  passing  on  our  way  from  the  ship  to  Oopung- 
newing — an  island  three  miles  southwest  I'rom  Kodlunarn — Koo- 
jesse had  pointed  out  this  latter  island,  and  said  that  white  men 
once  built  a  ship  there.  I  gave  little  heed  to  his  statement  at  the 
time,  because  I  knew  that  to  build  a  ship  such  materials  were  re- 
quired as  the  regions  thereabout  were  quite  destitute  of.  But 
when  I  heard  the  history  of  Ookijoxy  Ninoo,  I  saw  at  once  the 
probability  there  was  that  Koojesse  was  right. 

From  what  I  saw  that  day,  I  was  fully  convinced  that  many, 
very  many  years  ago,  men  of  civilization  did  live  upon  the  island 
called  by  the  Innuits  Kodlu7iarn,  and  that  they  did  build  a  vessel 
— probably  a  schooner — there. 

The  evidence  was  contained  in  the  following  objects  which  1 
saw  around  me,  viz. : 

Coal;  flint-stone;  fragments  of  tile,  glass,  and  pottery ;  an  exca- 
vation which  I  have  called  an  abandoned  mine ;  a  trench  by  the 
shore  on  an  inclined  plane,  such  as  is  used  in  building  a  ship  on 


A  RELIC  OF  THREE  CENTURIES.  429 

tbe  stocks ;  the  ruins  of  three  stone  houses,  one  of  which  was 
twelve  feet  in  diameter,  with  palpable  evidence  of  its  having  been 
erected  on  a  foundation  of  stone  cemented  together  with  lime  and 
sand ;  and  some  chips  of  wood  which  I  found  on  digging  at  the 
base  of  the  ship's  trench. 

Upon  this  evidence,  then — coupled  with  Esquimaux  tradition, 
as  given  to  me  by  several  persons  apart  from  each  other,  and  at 
different  times — I  founded  my  opinions  respecting  Frobisher's  ex- 
pedition, as  I  have  already  stated  them. 

It  was  night  before  we  left  the  island,  darkness  alone  ending 
the  search.  We  had  to  row  back,  the  native  crew  pulling  cheer- 
fully as  we  bounded  along.  The  lights  of  the  tupics  on  Nioun- 
telik  were  my  beacon  ahead,  and  above  were  the  glorious  stars  in 
all  their  beauty,  while  the  silvery  moon  was  rising  from  behind 
the  mountains  of  Tikkoon.  The  time  seemed  long  since  all  had 
appeared  so  fair  to  me  as  then  ;  and  when  we  arrived  at  the  tents, 
I  went  to  my  rest  truly  thankful  at  having  been  permitted  to  ac- 
complish what  1  had  that  day  been  enabled  to  do. 

The  following  morning,  September  23d,  I  continued  my  re- 
searches in  this  interesting  sound,  leaving  Kiountelik  at  8  A.M. 
There  was  a  strong  head  wind,  but  my  crew  were  good  at  the 
oars,  and  away  we  went  merrily  toward  the  main  land  beyond 
Kodlunarn.  As  we  passod  across  the  bay,  my  heart  was  greatly 
elated  at  the  thought  of  what  I  was  then  accomplishing.  A  glance 
at  the  red,  white,  a.id  blue  cheered  me  onward  in  the  work  of 
ripping  up  the  mysteries  of  three  centuries.  That  symbol  was 
m}"-  constant,  cheering,  helping  companion  night  and  day. 

In  about  an  liour  we  arrived  at  the  cape  of  land  called  Tikkoon, 
and,  upon  landing,  I  proceeded  to  a  small  plain  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  cape.  The  Innuits  went  on  before  me,  I  hav- 
ing my  compass  and  tripod  in  hand  to  take  bearings.  All  at 
once — to  quote  from  my  diary — 

"My  attention  was  drawn  to  the  extreme  of  the  plain,  facing 
Kodlunarn,  by  the  beach,  where  I  saw  Koo-ter-e-nier  (IMiner)  call- 
ing by  shouts  to  the  other  Innuits  and  myself,  holding  up  his 
arms  and  hands.  The  Innuits  started  on  a  run,  and  so  did  I,  for 
I  was  sure  something  of  interest  had  been  found.  Arriving  at 
the  spot,  what  was  before  me?  A  relic  of  three  centuries!  Iron 
— time-eaten,  with  ragged  teeth  ! 

"  This  iron,  weighing  from  fifteen  to  twenty  pounds,  was  on  the 
top  of  a  granite  rock,  just  within  reach  of  high  tide  at  full  and 


430  ARCTIC  KESEAliCII  EXPEDITION. 

change  of  moon.     The  iron  stain  from  this  specimen  was  in  the 
rock ;  otherwise  its  top  was  cleanly  washed. 

"This  was  just  what  I  wanted  to  find — some  of  the  heavy  .stone 
which  the  venerable  Innuit  woman,  Ookijoxy  Ninoo,  had  told  me 
about  the  previous  winter.  Of  course  my  heart  was  a  happy  one 
in  finding  this  iron,  brought  here  only  eighty-six  years  after  the 
discovery  of  America  by  Columbus. 

"The  Innuit  circles  of  stones  at  Tikkoon,  indicating  this  to  be 
a  place  for  the  summer  residences  of  the  Innuits,  were  very  nu- 
merous. I  know  not  where  I  have  seen  more  numerous  signs  of 
Innuits  than  on  the  plain  a  little  distant  from  the  cape.  I'Jetwecii 
the  plain  and  the  extremity  of  the  cape  the  usual  rough  old  rocks 
are  the  nature  of  the  land.  The  north  side  is  flanked  by  high, 
bold  mountains,  a  bay  extending  back  for  a  mile  or  so  on  the 
west  side.  On  the  east  side  extends  the  ba}^,  one  branch  of  whieli 
leads  toward  Field  Bay.  Tiie  j)lain  extends  across  the  cajic 
from  one  bay  to  the  other,  the  distance  being  less  than  one  eighth 
of  a  mile.  The  "  heavy  stone"  was  found  at  the  coast  edge  fac- 
ing h'odhtnarn,  which  island  is  about  half  a  mile  off.  Bones 
of  ducks,  tuktoo,  walrus,  and  whale  were  numerous  all  around. 
Some  were  very  old,  being  nearly  overgrown  with  grass  antl 
moss.  I  doubt  not,  two  or  three  centuries  old  were  some  of  these 
remains."  . 

On  leavii'.g  Tikkoon  tbe  wind  was  strong  from  the  northeast, 
and  it  soon  increased  to  a  gale.  Kooterenier  (Miner)  was  my 
boat-steerer,  and  well  he  performed  his  task  in  passing  several 
dangerous  places  where  heavy  gusts  came  rushing  down  the  ra- 
vines or  over  the  abrupt  mountains.  Our  boat  shipped  much 
water,  the  mad  waves  frequently'  Hying  over  us.  Once  a  .sharj) 
gust  caught  us  while  under  sail,  and  instantly  sent  the  boat  on- 
ward toward  a  dangerous  reef  of  rocks  on  our  lee.  In  a  moment 
sail  was  down,  oars  out,  and  all  hands  pulling  strong  and  rajiidly 
to  clear  the  danger.  Fortunately,  a  few  metnents  of  hard  work 
carried  us  free,  and  we  soon  after  reached  Cape  Oud-ho-onj  and 
landed. 

Here  I  took  a  few  compass  bearings,  and  walked  about  to  ex- 
amine the  spot.  ^lany  relics  of  Innuits  were  seen  here.  After 
remaining  there  an  hour  we  again  started,  and  proceeded  uj)  Vic- 
toria Bay,  keeping  well  inshore  for  smoother  water.  The  scenery 
was  magnificent.  Stupendous  cliffs  rose  up  almost  perpendicular 
from  the  water's  edge,  and  mountains  towered  high  above  me,  the 


A  MOUNTAIN  CAVE. 


431 


IIOAT  IN   A   STOKM. 


sides  of  some  crumbling  as  if  from  age  and  the  work  of  winter's 
free?;ing  power.  One  precipitous  mountain,  about  half  way  up 
the  bay,  had  the  whole  side  of  it  torn  from  summit  to  base,  and 
cast  down. 

As  we  approached  this  mountain  my  eye  caught  sight  of  a  cave. 
Handed  to  examine  it,  and  the  moment  I  set  foot  on  shore  I  was 
struck  with  amazement  at  the  huge  rocks,  high  up  and  overhang- 
ing my  head,  seemingly  ready  to  totter  and  foil.  The  cave  was 
one  of  those  made  by  the  action  of  ice  iu  winter  and  the  sea  and 
sun  in  summer.  The  ice  had  rent  the  rocks  and  fastened  upon 
tlicm;  the  sun,  with  its  heat,  and  the  wind,  with  its  power,  then 
went  to  work,  tearing  up  the  frozen  masses  of  ice,  and  forcing  out 
the  rocks,  thus  leaving  the  mountain  partly  disemboweled,  as  I 


432  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

found  it.  By  measurement,  the  cave  was  fifty  feet  long,  by  a  width 
of  ten  feet,  and  a  height  of  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  at  the  entrance. 
The  strata  of  rocks  were  perpendicular.  The  sides,  however,  were 
not  as  rough  and  jagged  as  were  the  roof  and  base.  Icicles,  long, 
numerous,  and  large,  hung  from  the  top,  giving  an  air  of  enchant- 
ment to  the  scene. 

xteturning  to  the  boat,  we  resumed  our  hard  labor  at  the  oars, 
the  wind  being  right  ahead.  We  had  not  proceeded  far  before 
Koojesse  sighted  a  seal  floating  a  little  distance  off  on  our  right. 
Tie  instantly  prepared  for  a  .shot,  and  stood  up  in  the  bow  of  the 
boat  ready  to  fire.  In  another  moment,  and  within  twenty-five 
feet  of  the  seal,  crack  went  the  rifle.  A  floundering  commenced, 
the  boat  was  in  an  instant  alongside  of  the  prey,  and  Koojesse 
laid  hold  of  his  prize  with  both  hands,  the  other  Innuits  imme- 
diately aiding  him.  I  shall  not  soon  foj'get  that  scene.  A  lino 
was  thrown  around  the  seal's  flippers,  but  the  animal  was  still 
alive,  and  struggled  so  much  that  all  the  power  we  had  could 
hardly  get  it  into  the  boat.  As  it  was  drawn  up,  the  dying  seal 
glanced  around  and  upon  ns  with  its  plaintive  eyes,  and  its  inno- 
cent-looking face  seemed  to  plead  for  mercy,  as  though  it  were 
human.  I  actually  felt  a  shudder  creeping  over  me  as  it  looked 
at  us ;  but,  on  the  instant,  a  knife  in  the  hands  of  Kooperneung 
was  buried  deep  in  it.  Another  struggle,  and  the  poor  seal  lay 
dead.  Koojesse  told  me  that  occasionally,  on  a  windy  day,  .seals 
will  thus  float  upon  the  surface  of  the  water  for  the  sake  cf  hav- 
ing the  wind  blow  on  their  backs. 

A  little  later  we  landed  at  Ek-ke-le-zhun,  a  point  of  interest 
and  importance  to  me.  This  place  is  a  tongue  of  land  which  juts 
out  nearly  half  across  the  bay,  and  serves  to  form  above  it  one  of 
the  safest  and  finest  harbors  I  ever  saw.  The  scenery  around  is 
grand  and  impressive,  and  I  saw  enough  to  convince  mc  that  it  is 
a  most  desirable  spot  for  a  vessel  to  anchor  in. 

While  the  Innuits  were  feasting  on  the  seal  I  took  a  walk  upon 
the  shore.  All  the  land  above  high-water  mark  was  covered  with 
snow ;  but,  looking  attentively  on  the  ground,  to  my  delight  I  dis- 
covered a  small,  thin  lamina  of  coal.  On  the  day  we  left  Oopung- 
newing  (August  13th),  on  our  voyage  up  Frobisher  Bay,  Koojesse 
told  me  that  he  knew  of  a  place  not  far  off,  up  a  bay,  where  there 
was  a  great  deal  more  of  the  coal  such  as  I  Iiad  found  at  Nioun- 
telik.  My  experience,  now  narrated,  shows  both  that  Koojesse 
was  honest  in  his  statement,  and  also — which  is  a  point  of  great 


ANOTHER  COAL  DEPOSITE.  433 

importance — that  the  Esquimaux  traditionary  history,  extending 
back  for  centuries,  is  wonderfully  accurate. 

Imbedded  in  the  rocks  I  also  found  some  heavy  black  sub- 
stances, larger  and  more  numerous  than  any  I  had  before  seen. 
These  I  concluded  might  be  the  "  stone  like  to  sea-coal"  described 
by  Frobisher  in  the  account  of  his  voyages.  I  secured  some  spec- 
imens, which  I  brought  home  with  me. 

But  I  was  not  content  with  the  hasty  examination  thus  made. 
After  returning  to  the  boat  and  lunching  on  raw  seal,  I  renewed 
my  search,  in  company  with  Koojesse  and  Kooperneung.  Soon, 
by  digging  under  the  snow,  coal  was  found  in  considerable  quan- 
tities, and  also  a  little  pile  of  flint-stones  similar  to  those  discov- 
ered in  the  coal  at  Niountelik,  and  in  the  cement  of  the  stone- 
house  ruins  at  Kodlunarn, 

My  feelings  were  so  buoyant  and  excited  at  this  discovery,  and 
the  proof  it  furnished  to  my  mind  that  Frobisher  had  been  there, 
that  I  could  hardly  contain  myself  But  my  excitement  was  con- 
siderably increased  when  Miner,  from  the  top  of  the  highest  part 
of  the  tongue  of  land,  raised  a  shout  and  said  he  had  found  more. 
We  rushed  toward  him,  and  lo !  more  and  more  was  indeed  found. 
There  was  a  large  space  clear  of  snow,  and  covered  with  coal  to 
the  amount,  I  thought,  of  some  five  tons.  I  was  perfectly  as- 
tounded. But  I  could  not  lose  time.  I  therefore  at  once  com- 
menced an  inspection  of  the  heap,  and  soon  found  a  large  chip  im- 
bedded in  the  coal.  This  chip,  my  companion  declared,  was  nev- 
er the  work  of  an  Innuit  knife.  It  had  the  appearance  of  having 
been  chopped  out  of  a  large  piece  of  oak  timber  with  an  axe.  I 
dug  down  fifteen  inches  into  the  coal  before  coming  to  any  earth. 
The  Innuits  willingly  assisted  me,  and,  as  at  Niountelik  and  Kod- 
lunarn, every  thing  they  found  was  apparently  passed  to  me.  I 
discovered,  however,  that  they  pocketed  some  of  the  best  speci- 
mens of  the  flint-stones,  and  I  had  eventually  to  resort  to  diplo- 
macy in  order  to  recover  them. 

Leaving  the  main  pile,  I  dug  in  other  places  through  the  snow, 
and  found  coal  extending  over  a  wide  area.  There  could  be  no 
doubt  that  a  large  deposit  was  made  here,  and  I  could  arrive  at 
no  other  conclusion — from  the  evidences  of  the  age  of  the  coal,  in 
the  mosses  and  otlier  signs  upon  it — than  that  this  was  done  by 
Frobisher.  I  filled  a  keg  with  specimens  of  the  coal,  the  moss, 
and  the  lichens,  to  bring  home,  and  just  as  I  then  packed  it,  so  it 

Ee 


484  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

appeared  when  opened  in  the  presence  of  many  persons  here  aft- 
er my  return. 

Night  was  now  fast  approaching,  and  I  could  stay  no  longer. 
The  Innuits  had  descended  to  the  boat  before  I  could  tear  my- 
self away  from  the  interesting  spot ;  and  long  after  we  left,  and 
while  we  were  running  rapidly  out  of  the  bay  under  a  favoring 
breeze,  did  I  keep  my  gaze  fixed  and  my  thoughts  centred  upon 
it. 

Our  course  back  was  directly  across  Countess  of  Warwick's 
Sound  to  Niountelik.  The  wind  was  strong  and  in  our  favor,  so 
that  we  made  rapid  progress,  and  in  good  time  reached  the  island. 
But  the  surf  was  too  high  for  landing  on  the  weather-side.  Ac- 
cordingly, we  went  round  into  the  same  bight  where  I  landed  on 
the  memorable  day  of  my  first  discovering  the  coal  here. 

It  was  dark  when  we  arrived,  and  there  was  much  difficulty  in 
getting  every  thing  up  the  abrupt  bank  flanking  the  place  of  land- 
ing. My  own  labor  was  severe,  especially  in  my  then  weak  state. 
Many  were  the  struggles  I  made  to  carry  up  safely  the  chronom- 
eter and  other  important  articles.  Two  hours  were  occupied  in 
doing  this,  and  in  getting  up  the  boat  above  high  water ;  but  at 
length  all  was  accomplished,  and  we  arrived  at  the  tupics  at  a  late 
hour,  wearied  beyond  measure  with  our  exertions. 

This  time  no  hot  coffee  or  tea  awaited  me,  as  heretofore,  when 
Suzhi  attended  to  the  matter.  My  supper  was  ice-water  and  mo- 
lasses, with  bread  soaked  in  it,  and  some  dried  venison  —  a  poor 
diet  to  a  cold  and  enfeebled  system. 


AJSOTUEU  COAL  UEPOSITE.  486 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  Storm. — Detained  at  Niountelik. — Examine  the  Island. — Another  Deposit  of 
Coal  found. — Specimens  collected. — Revisit  Kodlunarn. — Minute  InsiMction. — 
More  Itelics  found^f  Frobisher's  Expedition. — A  large  Piece  of  Iron. — The 
"Ship's  Trench. "-depart  on  return  to  Ship. — Twenty-sixth  Encampment. — 
Revisit  the  Whaling  De'pot. — Passage  through  Bear  Sound. — 'ISventy-sevcnth  and 
last  Encampment  by  Lupton  Channel. — Innuit  Deposits  of  Food. — Good  Faith 
and  Honesty  of  the  Natives  toward  each  other. — Avoidance  of  the  "Dreaded 
Land." — Last  Day's  Journey. — Arrive  near  Parker's  Bay. — Anxiety  anil  Excite- 
ment as  to  the  Ship. — Gain  Sight  of  her. — Arrival  on  Board. — All  well! 

Ox  Tuesday,  September  24th,  1861,  a  snow-storm  from  the 
northeast  was  upon  us.  This  delighted  me,  for  it  made  a  stay 
of  another  day  necessary,  impatient  as  the  Innuits  were  to  get 
back  to  the  ship.  After  breakfast,  enveloped  in  my  cloak,  I  saun- 
tered out,  determining  to  give  Niountelik  a  good  look.  I  first 
proceeded  through  snow  and  furious  wind  to  the  opposite  side  of 
the  island,  but  found  nothing  worthy  of  note  in  my  walk  there. 
On  my  way  back,  however,  by  the  beach  east  of  the  tuples,  I  found 
several  pieces  of  coal  in  the  sand,  and  up  a  gully  much  more,  with 
some  flint-stone.  A  little  farther  on  I  suddenly  encountered  an- 
other deposit  of  coal.  No.  2  of  Niountelik,  on  the  bank,  by  a  cove 
with  a  sandy  beach,  a  short  distance  cast  of  where  I  had  found 
the  first  deposit  some  months  before. 

At  this  moment  the  Innuits  came  round  with  the  boats,  and 
landed  in  the  cove ;  and  the  idea  immediately  struck  me  that  this 
was  the  identical  landing-place  of  Frobisher  in  1578 1  The  coal- 
bed  was  within  thirty  feet  of  high-water  mark.  Its  depth,  in  the 
thickest  part,  was  six  inches.  It  was  nearly  overgrown  with 
grasses,  shrubs,  and  mosses ;  and  some  of  it  was  washed  down 
into  the  sand  and  shingle  of  the  beach.  The  flint-stones  were 
numerous,  and  of  the  same  character  as  in  the  two  other  lots  found. 
Having  made  a  very  thorough  examination  here,  I  looked  else- 
where over  the  island.  Relics  of  Innuits  were  in  all  directions, 
but  especially  on  the  eastern  slope ;  and  some  small  pieces  of 
drift-wood,  overgrown  with  grass,  were  met  with  and  secured. 
After  going  to  the  camp  for  a  seal-spear,  I  succeeded — by  dint 


486  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

of  great  exertipn  and  perseverance,  digging  through  the  frozen 
ground — in  obtaining  several  good  specimens  of  the  coal  inter- 
locked with  moss,  grass,  and  shrubs. 

The  weather  was  not  propitious  on  the  morning  of  September 
25th,  but  the  Innuits  were  anxious  to  get  away,  and  I  had  to  sub- 
mit. While  the  boat  was  being  prepared,  I  went  to  the  highest 
part  of  the  island  and  took  some  bearings  by  compass,  and  carried 
with  me,  on  my  return  to  the  boat,  more  coal  and  other  relics  to 
take  home.  Miner  and  his  crew  were  not  ready,  owing  to  some 
of  their  dogs  being  missing;  but  I  hurried  ofF»hoping  to  induce 
my  companions  to  stop  once  more  at  Kodlunarn  on  the  way. 

This  I  was  fortunately  able  to  do.  I  concluded  an  arrange- 
ment w.ith  them  to  stay  there  for  a  short  time,  for  which  favor  1 
had  to  give  to  Koojessc  five  boxes  of  percussion  caps,  Koodloo 
two,  and  Charley  two.  I  could  not  leave  this  locality  without,  if 
possible,  making  another  examination  of  the  "White  Man's  Isl- 
and." Moreovei",  I  wanted  additional  relics  from  the  stone  house; 
and,  also,  to  take  some  measurements  and  bearings.  According- 
ly, after  leaving  Niountclik,  our  course  was  taken  direct  to  Kod- 
lunarn Island,  where  we  landed  at  the  same  place  as  before,  and 
I  at  once  began  to  examine  this  interesting  locality.  I  made  a 
very  close  and  minute  inspection,  taking  measurements  of  dis- 
tances, .so  as  to  be  quite  sure  of  the  data  from  which  my  deduc- 
tions could  be  drawn.  Kough  outline  sketches  were  also  made 
on  the  spot,  and  every  thing  was  done  to  insure  correctness  in  my 
notes  and  observations.  The  plan  of  the  island,  which  is  incor- 
porated in  the  chart  accompanying  this  volume,  will  better  serve 
to  convey  the  general  facts  to  the  reader  than  the  most  labored 
description  with  the  pen. 

The  result  of  this,  my  second  examination  of  Kodlunarn, 
brought  to  light  new  facts  in  connection  with  the  past.  A  piece 
of  iron,  semi-spherical  in  shape,  weighing  twenty  pounds,  was  dis- 
covered under  the  stone  that  had  been  excavated  for  the  "  ship's 
way,"  and  many  other  small  pieces  were  "also  found  at  the  head 
of  the  trench.  Fragments  of  tile  were  found  all  over  the  island, 
and  numerous  other  relies,  indicating  that  civilized  men  had  visit- 
ed the  place  very  many  years  ago. 

The  large  piece  of  iron  was  found  in  the  following  manner: 
Koojesse  and  I  had  been  examining  the  "ship's  trench"  to  sec 
how  high  up  in  it  the  tide  at  full  and  change  rose,  and  then,  leav- 
ing him  to  search  for  relics,  I  ascended  the  eastern  bank,  and  walk- 


FUOBISIIER  IRON.  487 

ed  along  it  to  the  bluff  facing  the  sea.  As  I  looked  down  to  tlie 
base  of  the  tongue  on  which  I  stood,  I  saw,  wedged  in  between 
two  rocks,  what  appeared  to  be  a  stick  of  timber,  about  two  feet 
long  and  six  inches  square,  very  old  in  appearance.  I  called  to 
Koojesse,  and  directed  him  to  examine  it,  as,  from  where  I  stood, 
it  was  some  twenty-five  feet  perpendicular  to  the  bottom ;  he  hast- 
ened down  and  around,  and,  on  arriving  at  the  supposed  relic  of 
wood,  said  it  was  a  stone.  I  was  surprised  and  disappointed,  and 
then  proceeded  with  my  occupation  of  pacing  off  the  trench.  In 
lialf  a  minute  I  heard  Koojesse  shout  '■'•  Shev-cye-un  T  (iron.)  I 
turned  round,  and  sa\y  that  he  had  boldly  mounted  the  steep  bank 
beneath  me,  using  the  sharp  rocks  as  stepping-stones,  and  had  his 
hand  resting  on  a  piece  of  rusty  iron  just  protruding  from  the 
debris  of  stone  that'  had  been  dug  out  of  the  trench,  and  thrown 
up,  making  a  bank.     Koojesse  continued  shouting  "  Iron !  big 

iron !     Can't  stir  him !" 

I  was  soon  on  the  spot,  though 
at  considerable  risk,  and  trying 
to  disengage  the  iron,  but  I  could 
not  move  it.  After  digging 
around  it,  however,  a  few  strong 

ONE  OK  FRoiiisuEii'H  ooLD  "rBOOKB."  pUllS    StartCCl    it.  i  UG     TUSt    OI 

(Auirouroiicofi578.)  three  ccuturics  had  firmly  ce- 

mented it  to  the  sand  and  stones  in  which  it  had  lain. 

This  piece  of  ironi?  was  of  the  same  character  as  that  found  at 
Tikkoon,  less  than  one  mile  from  Kodlunarn,  and  also  as  that  ob- 
tained on  "Look-out"  Island,  Field  Bay ;  and  the  origin  of  it,  as 
well  as  its  significance,  may  be  gathered  from  the  following  facts : 

Of  the  one  hundred  men  sent  out  from  England  with  Frobishei" 
in  1578,  the  majority  were  "  miners,"  sent  for  the  express  purpose 
of  digging  for  the  rich  ore  of  which  Frobisher  had  carried  speci- 
mens home  on  his  return  from  his  second  voyage,  and  which  was 
supposed  to  be  very  valuable.  The  miners  made  "proofs,"  as 
they  arc  called,  in  various  parts  of  the  regions  discovered  by  him. 
Some  of  these  "proofs"  are  doubtless  what  I  found,  and  they  fur- 
nish clear  evidence,  in  connection  with  other  circumstances  noted 
in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  that  I  was,  when  at  Kodlunarn,  on 
the  precise  spot  of  Frobisher's  "  Countess  of  Warwick's  Mine." 

*  The  same,  together  with  a  case  of  some  of  the  other  Frobisher  relics  which  I 
discovered  and  broui;ht  home,  I  sent  to  the  British  government  early  in  the  year 
1863,  through  the  Koyal  Geographical  Society  of  London. 


488  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Delighted  with  my  discoveries,  and  gathering  up  as  many  relics 
as  I  could  carry,  placing  them  in  ray  old  stockings,  mittens,  hat, 


VBOBIBnKB  BEL108  IN  MY  OU>  STOOKINOB. 


and  every  thing  that  would  hold  them  securely,  I  labeled  each 
article,  and  rejoined  the  boat,  immediately  afterward  departing  on 
our  way  for  "home."  That  the  reader  may  know  the  feelings 
with  which  I  left  this  portion  of  my  work,  I  here  make  a  brief  ex- 
tract from  my  diary,  hastily  written  on  the  spot : 

"  As  I  had  my  hand  upon  the  iron  relic  after  having  unearth- 
ed it  and  seen  what  it  was,  like  a  flash  the  whole  of  the  circum- 
stances flew  across  my  mind — my  determination  before  starting  to 
induce  my  native  crew  to  stop  with  mo  at  Kodlunarn ;  the  propo- 
sal while  making  the  transit  from  Niountelik  to  Kodlunarn ;  their 
willing  acceptance ;  the  search,  and  finding  of  interesting  rdics ; 
my  calling  to  Koojesse ;  his  response ;  his  descending  to  look  at 
what  I  thought  to  be  wood ;  its  proving  to  be  a  stone ;  Koojesse's 
mounting  by  an  unexpected  and  venturesome  way,  thus  finding 
the  iron  relic  where  it  had  lain  undisturbed  for  three  centuries ; 
God  blessing  me  in  making  me  the  instrument  in  determining 
the  exact  facts  of  what  has  remained  a  mystery  to  the  civilized 
world  for  so  long.  Now  it  will  be  known  throughout  all  the  en- 
lightened nations  of  the  earth  where  Frobisher  did  attempt  to  es- 
tablish the  colony  which  Queen  Elizabeth  sent  here  in  1578." 

That  night  we  reached  the  termination  of  the  high  land  below 
Sharko,  and  encamped*  till  the  next  morning. 

O^ir  passage  on  September  26th  was  made  with  some  difficulty, 
owing  to  the  heavy  sea  that  prevailed.   A  moderate  gale,  or  even 
♦  Our  twenty-sixth  encampment  was  in  lat.  G2°  38'  N.,  long.  05°  02'  W. 


INNUIT  HONESTY.  439 

ft  fresh  breeze  from  certain  directions,  causes  a  dangerous  sea  for 
boats  running  between  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound  and  Bear 
Sound,  a  fact  we  proved  by  personal  experience.  On  arriving  at 
the  oUl  whaling  dcp6t,  Cape  True,  I  landed  and  went  to  Flagstaff 
Ilill.  There  was  still  enough  renlaining  to  show  where  the  ship's 
company  had  lived  so  long :  the  tattered  remnants  of  a  flag,  some 
boards,  a  dismantled  table,  an  old  cooking-stove,  with  broken- 
down  walls  around  it,  oil-casks  covered  with  sods,  some  rope  and 
ice-gear,  with  the  usual  indications  of  Innuit  tent  life,  met  my 
view ;  but  it  was  solitary  as  compared  with  the  life  and  anima- 
tion displayed  when  I  was  there  only  a  few  months  before.  Slow- 
ly I  turned  my  steps  away  from  this  place,  where  I  had  spent  so 
many  happy  hours ;  and  I  could  not  help  saying  to  myself, "  Shall 
I  ever  again  behold  it?    God  only  knows  1" 

We  stopped  at  Capo  True  nearly  an  hour,  and  then  pursued 
our  way  through  Bear  Sound.  On  arriving  at  the  next  place  of 
encampment,  the  last  before  reaching  the  harbor  where  I  had  left 
the  ship,  the  Innuits  informed  me  that  it  was  called  Shar-toe-wik- 
toe,  from  a  natural  breakwater  of  thin  or  plate  stone,  the  native 
word  meaning  "  thin  flat  stone."  It  is  on  a  tongue  of  land  near- 
ly surrounded  by  water,  on  the  west  side  of  Lupton  Channel, 
within  a  mile  of  Field  Bay,  and  has  a  beautiful  little  boat-harbor. 
A  few  moments  after  landing,  some  of  the  Innuits  found  the  re- 
mains of  recent  encampments  of  their  people.  On  examination, 
we  discovered  that  several  tuples  had  been  there,  and  it  was  con- 
cluded that  Arlliawa,  Artarkparu,  and  other  families  had  made 
this  their  resting-place  on  the  way  from  where  we  hud  met  them 
up  Frobisher  Bay  to  Field  Bay.  At  this  place  I  found  some  de- 
posits of  seal  and  walrus,  evidently  freshly  made  by  the  party 
preceding  us ;  and  hero  I  noticed  an  instance  of  honesty  an^ 
good  faith  which  deserves  mention : 

These  deposits  were  beneath  piles  of  stone,  with  a  stick  run- 
ning up  obliquely  from  each,  so  that  if  the  ground  should  be  cov- 
ered with  snow,  the  place  might  be  easily  found.  The  Innuits 
with  mo  noticed  all  this,  and  saw  the  meat  thus  deposited,  yet  not 
one  would  touch  a  morsel  of  it.  They  knew  it  belonged  to  others, 
and  therefore  it  was  sacred  in  their  eyes,  unless  in  case  of  actual 
extremity. 

From  the  present  ^7th  and  last)  encampment  our  first  one  on 
the  outward  trip  was  not  far  distant — about  a  mile  off — and  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  channel  was  Lok's  Land,  the  "  dreaded  land." 


440  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

I  made  some  inquiries  about  it,  but  not  one  of  my  companions 
could  give  me  any  information,  though  onl}'  about  a  mile  distant. 
They  never  had  been  there,  and,  as  they  said,  "  never  would." 

On  the  morning  of  Friday,  September  27th,  I  mentally  arranged 
a  plan  for  getting  from  my  Innuits  all  the  flint-stone  relics  they 
had  pocketed  when  making  my  researches  in  the  coal  deposits 
found  at  Niountelik  and  up  Victoria  Bay.  I  began  my  opera- 
tions by  feasting  all  my  crew.  I  got  Koojesse  to  make  an  abun- 
dant soup  of  pemmican  and  meat-biscuit  for  them  all.  After 
they  had  eaten  this  I  gave  to  each  a  dish  of  hot  coffee  and  hands 
full  of  sea-biscuit.  I  was  particularly  conversational  and  cheerful 
with  all ;  carried  hot  coffee  and  bread  to  "  Miner"  and  his  wife, 
and  gave  bread  also  to  such  others  of  his  company  as  I  knew  to 
possess  the  relics  I  sought.  Then  I  told  Koojesse  that,  if  he  had 
any  of  the  "  flint-stones,"  I  would  give  him  some  boxes  of  percus- 
sion caps  when  I  got  to  the  vessel  if  he  would  give  them  all  to 
rae.  I  told  him,  moreover,  that  I  wanted  him  to  assist  me  in  in- 
ducing all  the  others  to  do  the  same,  promising  on  my  part  to 
give  Kooperneung  and  Koodloo  the  same  reward  I  offered  him, 
and  to  give  to  the  nulianas  of  himself  and  Ivcoperneung,  and  to 
Suzhi,  beads  for  all  they  had.  My  strategy  worked  like  a  charm ; 
the  relics  tame  in  by  scores,  each  bringing  me  a  quantity  that 
surprised  me,  for  I  had  not  thought  my  company  so  largely  de- 
ceitful. When  I  had  obtained  from  my  immediate  crew  all  they 
held,  I  took  Koojesse  with  me  to  "  Miner's"  company,  and  made 
an  important  addition  to  my  stock  there.  Thdflnnuits  had  se- 
creted these  flint-stones  for  their  own  use  in  "striking  fire." 

We  soon  after  started  on  our  way,  and  made  good  progress  up 
Field  Bay,  arriving  near  Parker's  Bay  toward  evening.  There 
■^  heard  the  report  of  fire-arms  from  the  shore,  and  saw  tupics 
near  the  beach.  My  party  immediately  responded,  and  desired 
that  we  should  land ;  but  as  we  were  now  only  about  seven  miles 
from  the  spot  where  I  expected  to  find  the  ship,  I  refused  permis- 
sion. The  usual  opposition  and  sulky  demeanor  then  followed. 
The  men  would  not  work,  and  the  women,  though  willing,  had  to 
do  as  their  masters  told  them.  Night  was  approaching,  and  the 
cold  was  becoming  severe ;  still,  I  felt  it  would  be  much  better 
to  go  on  and  ascertain  if  the  ship  were  really  there  than  to  en- 
camp for  another  night.  Accordingly,  I  tried  every  argument 
and  persuasion  to  induce  Koojesse  and  the  others  to  persevere, 
finally  succeeding  after  much  sulkincss  on  their  part. 


ARRIVAL  ON  BOARD.  441 

And  now  I  was  full  of  excitement  as  we  neared  the  place 
where  we  expected  to  find  the  ship ;  but  darkness  came  over  us 
before  we  got  across  the  bay,  and  I  became  very  anxious  for  our 
safety  among  the  dhoals,  of  which  there  were  many  about.  Hap- 
pily we  escaped  serious  peril,  and  on  reaching  the  point  of  land  to 
be  rouniied  before  entering  the  harbor,  danger  was  lost  in  the  gen- 
eral excitement.  We  looked  eagerly  and  often  for  a  sight  of  the 
ship.  Presently  a  dark  mass  loomed  up  before  us.  A  few  more 
strokes  of  the  oars,  and  all  doubt  was  removed.  The  George  Hen- 
ry was  in  sight ! 

As  soon  as  the  vessel  was  seen,  my  Innuit  crew,  unable  to  re- 
press their  joy,  fired  their  guns  and  sent  forth  loud  shouts  and 
cheers,  in  which  I  could  not  help  joining,  overjoyed  to  find  the 
ship  not  yet  departed.  The  watch  on  deck  was  at  first  in  doubt 
what  to  make  of  the  noise,  but  a  second  thought  told  him  that  I 
had  returned  with  my  party,  and,  giving  a  shout  in  reply,  he 
rushed  to  inform  Captain  B of  our  approach. 

In  a  few  minutes  more  I  was  alongside,  and  saw  the  captain, 
with  all  bauds,  ready  to  greet  me.  Quickly  I  ascended  the  ship's 
side,  and  was  receiving  the  captain's  warm  grasp  and  the  hearty 
welcome  of  all  around  me.  I  found  that  every  one  on  board  and 
most  of  the  Inuuits  around  had  given  us  up,  concluding  that  we 
were  lost.  It  was  supposed  that  our  boat  could  never  stand  the 
trip  for  so  long  a  time,  so  that  when  we  returned  in  safety  it  was 
aluiost  as  if  the  dead  had  come  to  life.  A  hot  supper  was  at  once 
prepared  for  the  whole  party  of  us,  and,  meanwhile,  numerous 
questions  and  answers  passed.  My  first  question  'was,  "  How 
many  v/hales  secured?"  and  I  was  surprised  to  receive  the  reply, 
"  Not  one." 

Until  near  midnight  Captain  B and  myself  prolonged  our 

talk  in  the  little  after-cabin,  and  then,  when  I  did  retire,  it  was 
impossible  to  sleep,  owing  to  the  great  change  from  the  free,  cool 
air  of  the  tuples  to  that  of  the  stove-heated  ship.  Fifty  days  and 
forty-nine  nights  I  had  been  without  any  fire  to  warm  me  save 
that  which  burns  within  the  human  system.  For  many  days  be- 
fore getting  back  to  the  ship  the  mountain  streams  had  been  fast 
bound  in  chains  of  ice,  yet,  as  a  general  rule,  and  excepting  the 
time  during  my  recent  sickness,  I  had  always  slept  wel^  Now, 
however,  I  could  not  sleep,  and  was  restless  and  disturbed  through 
the  whole  night. 


442  AliCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Visit  the  friendly  Natives. — Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito. — A  Surprise. — Birth  of  a 
Son. — Artni'kparu's  Information. — More  concerning  Frobisher's  Expedition. — A 
great  Number  of  Innuits  around  the  Ship. — They  all  concur  in  the  traditionary 
History  given  to  me. — Author's  Anxiety  to  renew  his  Discoveries. — Another  Boat- 
trip. — Cross  the  Bay  to  Chapell  Inlet. — Camp  for  the  Night. — Continue  the  Voy- 
age.— Bad  Weather. — Heavy  Gale. — Encamp  once  more. — Visit  an  Innuit  Depot 
of  Food. — A  severe  Hurricane. — Boat-voyage  abandoned. — Return  to  the  Ship.— 
Capture  of  two  Whales. — A  Man  dangerously  hurt  by  a  Whale. 

On  the  following  morning,  Saturday,  September  28th,  1861,  at 
an  early  hour,  I  was  on  deck,  finding  every  one  astir,  getting  ready 
for  the  customary  cruise  after  whales.  The  ship's  company  gen- 
erally started  at  daybreak  to  try  their  luck,  and  they  were  sadly 
disappointed  with  the  result  hitherto.  On  inquiry,  I  found  that 
some  of  my  Innuit  friends  were  still  in  the  neighborhood,  and, 
after  breakfast,  I  went  on  shore  to  visit  them.  I  may  here  state 
•  that,  OH'  my  return,  I  found  the  vessel  at  the  same  anchorage — in 
George  Henry's  Harbor* — as  it  was  when  I  left  it  on  August  9th. 

The  first  call  I  wished  to  make  was  at  Ebierbing's  tupic,  which 
was  pointed  out  to  me  at  no  great  distance.  I  entered  without 
"ringing,"  and  found  "Jennie" — Kood^oo's  wife — there  to  wel- 
come me,  as  she  did  with  unmistakable  pleasure.  On  inquiring 
for  Tookoolito  and  Ebierbing  —  whom  I  considered  almost  as 
adopted  chi  dren  —  I  found  that  I  had  entered  the  wrong  tent, 
Ebierbing's  tupic  being  next  door,  and  thither  I  soon  made  my 
way. 

As  I  entered  the  tupic  of  Ebierbing  I  caught  a  mere  glimpse 
of  a  woman's  face,  which  I  had  hardly  time  to  recognize  as  be- 
longing to  Tookoolito.  She  gave  me  one  look,  and  then  the  face 
I  beheld  was  buried  in  hands  trembling  with  excitement.  It  was, 
indeed,  Tookoolito,  overwhelmed  with  tears  on  seeing  me  again. 
The  tears  sprang  to  my  eyes  also  as  I  saw  this  evidence  of  stronji 
attachn:)ent.    It  was  some  time  before  the  silence  of  the  tupic  wa.s 

*  Thus  named  after  the  barque  Georrje  Henry.  This  harbor  is  in  lat.  (52°  fi.T  N.. 
long.  G4°  48'  15"  W.,  and  is  at  the  south  extreme  of  the  longest  island  of  Field  Bay, 
not  fur  from  the  t#niination  of  said  bay. 


TOOKOOLITO.  443 

broken  by  voices.  She  and  ber  busband,  in  common  with  all  the 
other  Innuits  and  white  men,  had  never  expected  to  see  me  again. 
She  had  often  ascended  a  hill,  near  by  and  overlooking  the  bay, 
to  search  the  horizon  for  my  returning  boat,  but  had  a^  often  come 
down  disappointed. 

In  the  midst  of  our  talk  I  was  startled  by  the  plaintive  cry  of 
an  infant,  and,  turning  back  a  corner  of  the  ample  tuktoo  furs 
with  which  Tookoolito  was  wrapped,  I  found  a  boy  only  twenty- 
four  days  of  age,  her  only  child  I 

Tookoolito  told  me  she  had  been  very  ill,  and  had  nearly  died 
during  her  confinement.  I  was  about  to  leave  the  tupic,  having 
spent  a  very  pleasant  hour  with  my  friend,  when  she  drew  toward 
her  a  bag,  from  which  she  took  two  pair  of  nether  garments — 
kod-lings — which  she  had  made  for  me  before  her  sickness.  One 
pair  was  made  of  Jcus-se-cjear  (black  sealskin  andfur),  a  beautiful 
mottled  material ;  the  other  pair  was  of  the  common  seal,  made 
in  the  Innuit  fashion,  the  former  being  made  in  the  style  of  civ- 
ilization. She  also  gave  me  three  specimens  of  her  netting  or 
crochet-work,  made  especially  for  me  to  take  home  to  America. 
They  were  table-mats,  and  beautiful  specimens  of  a  skillful  hand. 
But  I  had  not  yet  reached  the  depths  of  her  generosity ;  she  next 
presented  to  me  a  pair  of  sealskir.  socks,  and  a  pair  of  meituk 
socks  (made  of  the  skins  of  eider  ducks  with  the  feathers  on), 
saying,  at  the  same  time,  that  she  had  the  material  at  hand,  and 
would  soon  have  ready  for  me  a  pair  of  winter  boots — kumings. 

I  told  her  she  was  doing  too  much  for  me.  "Nay, nay,"  was 
her  response,  "  I  can  not  do  half  so  much  as  I  ought  for  one  who 
has  been  so  kind  to  us."  As  I  was  leaving  the  tupic  she  said,  "1 
was  so  glad  when  I  heard  last  night  that  you  had  got  back  in 
safety  that  I  could  not  sleep ;  I  lay  thinking  of  it  all  the  night. 
I  feel  very  happy  now.  My  luinga  thought  you  lost  too ;  and 
now  he  also  is  happy." 

In  the  afternoon  old  Artarkparu  visited  me.  He  had  arrived, 
with  his  company,  from  up  Frobisher  Bay  a  little  before  my  re- 
turn, and  I  now  gladly  conversed  with  him,  ihrough  Koojesse  as 
interpreter,  about  the  pieces  of  iron  I  bad  obtained  at  Tikkoou 
and  Kodlunarn.  I  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  seen  them  before, 
and  he  replied,  "  No,  not  those,  hut  one  much  larger^  Ho  then 
made  a  circular  motion  witb  his  hand  over  and  around  the  piece 
of  iron  I  had  placed  on  the  table,. and,  according  to  this,  that 
which  he  had  seen  must  have  been  five  times  as  large.     lie  add- 


444  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

ed  to  his  remark  that  a  very  strong  Innuit  could  just  lift  it,  and 
there  were  very  few  who  were  able  to  do  so.  This  piece  of  metal 
was,  as  he  explained,  on  the  southwest  side  of  Oopungnewing  Isl- 
and, just  above  high-water  mark.  He  had  seen  it  six  years  be- 
fore, but  not  since.  The  metal  was  "soft"  and  "smooth,"  not 
"  hard"  like  the  pieces  I  bad  before  me. 

Ebierbing,  visiting  me  that  day  in  our  little  after-cabin,  was 
conversing  with  me,  and  speaking  of  his  sickness  and  recovery — 
of  the  critical  state  in  which  his  nuliana  lay  for  several  days  suc- 
ceeding the  birth  of  their  child — of  the  loss  of  his  very  valuable 
seal  and  sledge  dog  "Smile,"  and  another  of  his  dogs.  He  said 
farther,  "  We  thankful  that  still  live  and  able  to  work.  Lose  our 
dogs;  sick  and  unable  to  go  tuktooing;  no  tuktoo  skins  for  win- 
ter ;  never  mind ;  we  alive  and  together ;  got  fine  boy,  and  are 
happy."  I  thought  this  was  indeed  akin  to  Christian  philosophy, 
deserving  respect  and  admiration. 

Annawa  and  his  wife  Nood-loo-yong  visited  me  on  the  morning 
of  September  30th,  and  I  showed  them  the  relics  I  had  obtained. 
They  at  once  recognized  them  as  coming  from  the  places  I  had 
examined.  These  people  had  spent  most  of  their  days  round  the 
waters  of  Frobisher  Bay,  and  especially  on  the  islands  Oopungne- 
wing and  Niountelik.  The  portion  of  brick  which  I  had  found 
the  previous  winter,  when  transferring  my  things  from  one  sledge 
to  the  other,  opposite  Niountelik,  was  unknown  to  them  in  so 
large  a  form ;  but  they  bad  often  seen  smaller  pieces,  and  also 
coal,  in  each  of  the  places  where  I  had  discovered  it.  They  had 
likewise  found  "  heavy  stone,"  such  as  I  showed  them  at  Kus-se- 
'jear-ark-ju-a,  a  cape  half  a  mile  N.N.W.  of  Kodlunarn. 

I  asked  them  where  these  things  came  from,  and  the  reply  was, 
"  Kodlunas  brought  them."  I  immediately  said,  "  Did  you  see 
those  kodlunas?"  Their  answer,  with  eyes  wide  open  and  coun- 
tenances expressing  surprise,  was,  '■^Ar-gi!  ar-gir  meaning  No! 
no! 

"How,  then,"  said  I,  "do  you  know  that  kodlunas  brought 
them?" 

Their  response  was,  "All  the  old  Innuits  said  so.  The  first  In- 
nuits  who  saw  the  white  men  were  all  dead,  many,  a  great  many 
years  ago." 

The  more  I  searched  into  this  subject  the  more  I  found  it  to  be 
well  known,  as  a  traditionaj:y  fact,  that  white  men — Icodlunas — 
once  lived  on  the  island  then  and  since  called  by  the  Innuits  Kod- 


BLIND  GEORGE'S  STORY.  445 

lunarn ;  that  tbese  men  had  built  a  ship  there ;  had  launched  it, 
and  started  away  for  their  homes ;  but  that,  before  they  got  out 
of  the  bay,  hands  and  feet  were  frozen,  and  finally  the  whole  of 
them  perished  of  cold.  Ebierbing's  statement  to  me  was  as  fol- 
lows: 

EecoUects  hearing  his  father  tell  of  these  white  men,  and  how 
they  built  a  ship.  I'he  kodlunas  had  brought  brick,  coal,  and 
"heavy  stone,"  and  left  them  on  Niountelik  and  at  other  places 
about  there.  His  father  did  not  see  them,  but  i\ie  first  Innults, 
who  saw  them,  told  other  Innuits  so,  and  so  it  continued  to  his 
day.  Old  Innuits  tell  young  Innuits ;  and  when  they  get  to  be 
old,  they  in  turn  tell  it  to  the  young.  "  When  our  baby  boy," 
said  he,  "  gets  old  enough,  we  tell  him  all  about  you,  and  about 
all  those  kodlunas  who  brought  brick,  iron,  and  coal  to  where  you 
have  been,  and  of  the  kodlunas  who  built  a  ship  on  Kodlunarn 
Island.  When  boy  gets  to  be  an  old  Innuit  he  tell  it  to  other  In- 
nuits, and  so  all  Innuits  will  know  what  we  now  know." 

Thus,  by  the  simple,  unadorned  statement  of  Ebierbing  may  be 
known  how  it  is  that  oral  history  is  preserved  among  the  Innuit 
people  of  the  North. 

On  the  day  following  this  conversation,  several  old  Innuits  ar- 
rived from  different  places ;  among  them  were  Ugarng,  with  his 
two  wives  and  child ;  "  Bob,"  his  wife  "  Polly,"  and  children  ; 
"Johnny  Bull"  and  Kokerzhun,  and  Blind  George,  with  his  dar- 
ling girl  Kookooyer.  Ugarng  had  left  his  mother,* old  Ookijoxy 
Ninoo,  at  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  so  that  I  was  unable  to  obtain 
from  her  any  additional  information  concerning  the  relics  I  had 
found;  but  the  others  all  confirmed  the  story  already  given  to  me 
about  the  white  men,  and  what  they  had  left  behind. 

The  testimony  of  Blind  George  was  particularly  interesting, 
from  the  circumstances  under  which  he  gave  it.  Being  unable  to 
see,  he  by  signs  and  motions  mapped  out  the  position  of  various 
places  in  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound,  where  these  things  had 
been  noticed  by  him  before  losing  his  sight.  Placing  his  hand 
on  his  own  person,  he  said, "  Oopungnewing ;"  then  placing  it  on  a 
corner  of  a  sea-chest  in  the  main  cabin,  where  we  were,  he  contin- 
ued, "  Niountelik ;"  then  pointing  with  his  finger  to  a  spot  on  the 
table,  he  said,  "  Tiver-piik-ju-a ;"  to  another,  "Kodlunarn;"  to  an- 
other, "  Tikkoon."  Before  he  could  place  all  to  siitisfy  him,  he 
went  back  and  repeated  his  steps  frequently,  at  last  accomplish- 
ing the  geographical  feat  satisfiictorily  to  himself  and  quite  to  my 


446  AKCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

gratification.  Ho  also  identified  the  specimen  of  "heavy  stone" 
I  placed  in  his  lap  by  lifting  it  up  and  touching  his  lips  to  it ;  he 
felt  its  indentations  and  roughness,  weighed  it  in  his  hand,  and 
said  "all  same"  as  he  once  saw  at  Kodlunarn.  lie  then,  without 
any  leading  questions,  described  the  trenches  made  by  the  white 
men ;  and  his  testimony  was  confirmed  by  Tweroong,  who  also 
added  that  old  Innuits  said  the  ship  was  built  from  wood  left  on 
the  island  for  an  vjloo — a  word  applied  not  only  to  their  own 
snow-houses,  but  to  the  dwellings  of  civilized  men  generally. 

The  information  thus  obtained,  though  satistactory,  still  made 
me  desirous  for  more ;  and  as  at  that  time  the  number  of  Innuits 
in  the  neighborhood  could  not  have  been  less  than  a  hundred,  I 
thought  it  an  excell^'ut  opportunity  for  procuring  what  I  sought. 
Accordingly,  I  sent  to  some  of  their  tuples,  and  getting  Tookoo- 
lito  to  be  my  interpreter,  asked  a  number  of  questions,  the  an- 
swers to  which  perfectly  satisfied  me  with  regard  to  the  main  facts 
concerning  Frobisher's  expedition  and  the  fate  of  his  men. 

The  result  of  all  the  information  thus  obtained  convinced  me, 
however,  of  the  necessity  for  another  and  longer  examination  of 
the  locality  possessing  so  much  interest  as  regarded  this  subject. 
Therefore  I  again  prepared  for  another  trip,  and  on  Monday,  Oc- 
tober 7th,  at  11  A.M.,  I  once  more  started  for  the  Countess  of 
Warwick's  Sound.  My  boat's  crew  consisted  of  Ebierbing,  as 
boat-stecrcr  and  interpreter;  "Suzhi,"  "John  Bull,"  Kokcrzhun, 
Annawa,  Ou-le-kier,  and  Shevikoo,  thus  having  only  one  (Suzhi) 
of  my  previous  party  with  me. 

As  this  trip,  owing  to  the  very  severe,  weather,  was  nearly 
a  failure,  I  need  only  give  such  particulars  of  it  as  may  prove 
generally  interesting  to  the  reader.  The  wind  was  strong  when 
we  started,  and  every  dash  of  water  upon  our  boat  froze  as  it 
touched  the  side.  Sometimes  the  gusts  were  so  heavy  that  great 
care  was  needed  lest  we  should  be  capsized ;  but  we  managed  to 
cross  the  bay  and  reach  land  on  the  other  side  without  mishap. 
Here,  for  a  time,  we  had  better  weather,  but  the  wind  soon  became 
adverse,  and  when  we  got  near  to  French  Head  it  was  deemed  ad- 
visable to  encamp  for  the  night. 

We  stopped  at  a  bight,  or  indentation  of  the  land,  close  to  the 
place  where  we  used  to  cross  over  to  Chapell  Inlet,  and  there,  in 
searching  for  drift-wood,  I  came  across  a  piece  of  my  lost  expedi- 
tion boat.  The  women  attended  to  our  encampment,  consisting 
of  two  tents,  one  formed  of  my  boat's  covering,  the  other  of  boats' 


ROUGH  WEATHER.  447 

sails  ;•  five  persons  were  in  one  and  three  in  the  other.  Thus  we 
passed  the  first  night,  and  early  next  morning,  October  8th,  again 
started. 

The  weather  was  very  discouraging ;  the  wind  was  right  against 
us,  and  occasionally  it  snowed  heavily.  A  mile  or  so  after  leav- 
ing our  encampment  a  perfect  storm  came  upon  us,  and  I  saw 
that  Ebierbing  and  the  rest  felt  most  unwilling  to  go  on.  Indeed, 
I  myself  now  feared  it  would  be  impossible  to  prosecute  our  voy- 
age. The  delay  had  been  such  that  every  day  now  brought  the 
severity  of  winter  fast  upon  us ;  still,  I  determined  to  persevere  as 
long  as  we  could,  feeling  that  if  the  ship  departed  soon  for  home 
I  should  have  no  opportunity  for  examining  farther  into  the  Fro- 
bisher  expedition. 

The  wind  soon  increased  to  a  gale,  bringing  the  snow  furiously 
into  our  faces;  the  waves  ran  high,  every  crest  leaping  the  boat's 
side,  and  almost  bifrying  it  in  the  trough  of  the  sea.  Our  condi- 
tion was  becoming  dangerous,  and  so  thought  my  Innuit  compan- 
ions, as  they  frequently  glanced  at  me  to  learn  my  intentions.  It 
was  soon  evident  to  me  that  all  my  hopes  of  getting  forward 
were  likely  to  be  disappointed.  The  season  was  too  far  advanced 
for  boat  excursions ;  snow-storms,  cold  and  windy  weather,  met 
me  each  day.  My  companions,  wiser  than  myself,  plainly  inti- 
mated that  it  would  not  do  to  persevere ;  they  would  go  on  if  I 
determined  to  do  so,  but  they  knew  their  own  coasts,  their  native 
waters,  and  their  seasons  better  than  myself;  and  I  felt  that,  much 
as  I  wished  to  accomplish  another  examination  of  the  islands 
where  relics  could  be  obtained  before  the  George  Henry  sailed,  I 
should  be  unable  to  do  so  without  running  a  risk  that  would  be 
considered  foolhardy. 

Our  encampment  that  night  was  at  a  place  where,  as  we  soon 
perceived,  some  Innuits  had  lately  rested.  Traces  of  their  abode 
and  deposits  of  provision  were  found,  and,  upon  inquiry,  I  dis- 
covered that  one  of  my  crew,  Shevikoo,  was  of  the  party  that  had 
rested  here.  This  explained  why  he  so  readily  opened  the  depos- 
its, and  took  from  the  store  of  walrus  and  other  meat  what  he 
wanted. 

The  gale  now  increased  almost  to  a  hurricane.  I  had  encoun- 
tered nothing  so  severe  since  the  memorable  one  of  the  past  year 
when  my  boat  was  destroyed  and  the  Rescue  wrecked.  We  could 
only  with  the  greatest  difficulty  keep  our  tents  from  blowing 
away;  we  frequently  had  to  secure  them  afresh  by  additional 


448  ARCTIC  RESEAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

weights  of  stones  at  their  base,  and  my  readers  may  conceive  bet- 
ter than  I  can  describe  the  position  I  was  in  during  my  detention 
on  that  desolate  coast. 

During  this  trip  I  had  opportunities  for  much  talk  \yith  the  In- 
nuits  concerning  the  Frobisher  expedition,  and  also  concerning 
some  of  their  own  traditions  and  superetitions.  Concerning  the 
"  dreaded  land,"  Annawa  said : 

"  Years  ago  many  Innuits  were  carried  away  on  the  ice  and 
never  came  back  again.  Then  Innuits  would  not  live  there  for 
a  long  time.  Finally  they  began  to  go  there  again  in  great  num- 
bers, when  once  more  they  were  all  lost,  but  how  no  Innuit  could 
tell.  At  last,  hearing  nothing  from  the  people  who  had  gone 
there,  a  boat's  crew  of  Innuits  went  to  ascertain  their  fate.  They 
arrived  in  the  region  they  sought,  but  the  very  first  night  they 
could  not  .sleep,  owing  to  a  terrible  noise,  all  the  same  as  if  iV((-)i« 
— the  land — cracked,  shook,  and  broke.  Tll^rc  was  no  sea,  no 
wind,  no  ice;  se-lar — sky — fine,  weather  good,  yet  the  dreadful 
noise  continued.  However,  the  searching  party  went  on  shore  to 
examine ;  they  looked  around,  and  they  went  all  over  the  land, 
but  not  one  of  their  people  could  be  found.  All  were  gone! 
Some  mysterious  fate  had  overtaken  them.  This  frightened  the 
new  visitors ;  they  knew  not  what  to  make  of  it.  Then,  too,  the 
dreadful  noises  continued ;  each  night  their  .sleep  was  troubled  by 
a  repetition  of  the  direful  sounds.  The  earth  cracked  and  rum- 
bled, and  seemed  as  if  breaking  up  in  all  directions.  It  was 
enough !  Without  farther  delay,  the  visitors  took  to  their  boat 
and  left  the  dreaded  land.  Since  then  no  Innuits  will  live  there." 
Annawa  said  the  last  catastrophe  happened  when  he  was  a  boy; 
the  first  was  a  long  time  before  he  was  born. 

On  Wednesday,  October  9th,  though  within  a  mile  of  Lupton 
Channel,  I  determined  upon  returning  to  the  ship ;  it  was  all  but 
impossible  to  proceed.  But  here  again  were  other  disappoint- 
ments ;  the  wind  changed,  a  heavy  storm  set  in  right  against  us, 
and,  after  accomplishing  a  short  distance,  we  had  once  more  to 
encamp,  this  time  close  to  "  French  Head." 

My  trip  thus  far  had  been  any  thing  but  pleasant.  In  the  boat 
I  was  so  (jrampcd,  and  wet  with  the  spray,  that  I  could  hardly 
move.  When  I  landed  my  limbs  almost  refused  their  several 
functions,  and  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  have  a  good  walk  before 
I  could  restore  proper  circulation.  It  was  a  comfort  to  have  such 
a  walk,  a  greater  comfort  to  be  within  the  tupic,  and  a  still  greater 


A  WHALING  INCIDENT.  449 

to  have,  after  a  time,  hot  coffee  placed  before  me  by  the  ready 
hands  of  Suzhi. 

The  next  morning,  October  10th,  we  renewed  our  boat-voyage 
back  to  the  ship.  On  the  way  a  deer  was  seen,  and  my  crew  im- 
mediately landed  to  secure  it.  This  was  done  without  much  dif- 
ficulty, guns  having  been  brought  into  good  use  for  the  purpose. 
The  animal  was  a  fine  one,  and  very  soon  made  a  great  feast  for 
all  of  us.  It  was  quickly  skinned,  and  the  raw  food  greedily 
eaten.  I  partook  of  some  of  it,  and  especially  of  the  marrow  of 
the  legs,  the  bones  having  been  broken  by  pounding  them  with  a 
.stone.  "Johnny  Bull"  took  the  head,  broke  open  the  skull,  and 
feasted  on  the  brains,  Suzhi  now  and  then  thrust  her  fingers 
down  into  the  paunch,  drawing  forth  portions  of  the  contents,  and 
eating  them  with  much  relish,  "Wliilc  waiting  at  this  place  T 
took  a  walk  along  the  beach,  and  found  a  ship's  beam  high  and 
dry  on  the  rocks.  It  was  of  oak,  twenty-seven  feet  long,  and 
eighteen  by  twelve  inches  square.  Spikes  that  had  once  helped 
to  hold  fast  the  ship's  deck,  and  the  bolts  running  through  at  each 
end,  were  much  oaten  with  rust.  It  probably  belonged  to  the 
Traveller. 

When  we  again  started  it  was  with  difficulty  that  any  progress 
could  be  made,  owing  to  the  head  wind;  but  at  last,  toward  even- 
ing, n'c  nearcd  the  locality  of  the  ship.  At  that  time  another 
boat  under  sail  was  observed,  and  we  soon  found  it  to  be  manned 
wholly  by  Innuits,  It  was  a  pretty  sight,  that  boat,  with  no  load 
.save  its  light  crew,  sailing  in  the  strong  wind,  with  a  heavy  sea 
prevailing.  The  masts  and  sails  were  bent  over,  almost  touching 
the  waves,  and  yet  she  bounded  forward,  beautifully  rising  over 
the  watens,  and  dashing  along  like  a  white  whale  in  alarm.  As 
soon  as  the  boat  nearcd  us,  we  learned  that  during  my  absence 
the  crew  of  the  George  fknrij  had  captured  two  whales,  and  this 
news  was  soon  afterward  fully  confirmed  when  I  saw  the  huge 
carcasses  alongside  of  the  ship. 

On  board.  Captain  B and  his  crew  were  busy  and- joyous 

over  the  work.  A  friendly  word  was  hastily  given,  and  I  went 
below,  I  regretted  to  learn  that  a  man  had  been  seriou.sly  in- 
jured, nearly  losing  his  life  by  a  blow  from  one  of  the  captured 
whales.  The  boat  in  which  this  man  was  had  run  with  a  six- 
knot  breeze  right  on  the  whale  in  an  oblique  direction,  its  bow 
actually  mounting  the  monster's  back  near  its  tail.  At  that  mo- 
ment the  "  boat-header" — Morgan — threw,  with  all  the  force  of  a 

Ff 


450 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


bold,  expert  man,  two  harpoons  in  quick  succession.  The  whale, 
feeling  the  concussion  of  the  boat  and  the  sharp  wounds  of  the 
irons  in  his  back,  desperately  and  fiercely  struck  his  flukes  about, 
right  and  left,  with  the  force  of  a  thousand-horse  engine.  The 
sea  became  white  under  his  maddened  fury.  Occasionally  the  tip 
of  one  of  his  flukes  was  raised  high  above  the  boat's  side,  as  if 
about  to  deal  instant  destruction  to  all,  and  once  a  blow  came 
heavily  down.  Morgan  saved  himself  by  jumping  on  one  side; 
but  the  nearest  man  was  struck  and  knocked  down  senseless. 
The  boat's  mast  was  lifted  from  the  step,  and  the  sail  thrown  in 
the  water,  but,  fortunately,  the  boat  itself  escaped  destruction. 
The  huge  monster  expended  most  of  his  power  in  lashing  the 
water,  and  then  "  sounded" — that  is,  dived  into  the  depths  below. 
On  returning  to  the  surface  he  was  met  by  lances,  which  caused 
the  usual  spouting  of  blood,  and  then  followed  the  death-stroke, 
which  made  the  whale  a  prize  to  the  daring  seamen  who  had  at- 
tacked it. 


OO-Mi-EK,  OB  WOMXN'8  BOAT, 


THE  ANVIL.  451 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Anvil. — Prcparntions  for  returning  Homo. — Excursion  to  Bayard  Taylor  Pass. 
— Hard  Climbing. — An  extensive  View. — The  Ico  Pack  in  Davis's  Strait. — A 

rapid  Descent. — Koturn  to  the  Ship. — Startling  Announcement  of  Captain  B . 

— Another  Winter  in  the  Ice. — General  Gloom. — A  bitter  Disappointment. — llow 
to  live  and  keep  Warm. — Innuit  Simplicity  regarding  Money. — Author's  Prop- 
osition concerning  Stores. 

The  events  that  followed  my  return  to  the  ship  on  Thursday, 
October  10th,  1801,  were  similar  to  those  that  I  have  already  re- 
lated. We  all  naturally  wished  to  get  away  and  proceed  on  the 
voyage  home ;  ice  had  begun  to  form,  and  we  felt  that  the  time 
was  now  come  for  our  departure,  if  wo  mean!  to  leave  that  year. 
Thus  a  few  days  passed  on,  during  which  several  of  our  friends, 
the  Innuits,  who  had  been  at  different  places  hunting  and  sealing, 
returned.  Among  them  were  Ugarng,  Artarkparu,  and  Annawa. 
Each  of  these,  on  my  questioning  them,  spoke  of  the  particular 
relic  on  Oopungnewing  I  had  been  so  anxious  to  obtain  from  the 
moment  when  Artarkparu  told  me  of  it,  as  recorded  in  the  previ- 
ous chapter ;  and  upon  requesting  them  to  do  so,  they  each  made 
from  wood  a  model  of  the  article,  working  at  different  times,  and 
without  the  least  consultation  among  themselves. 

I  here  introduce  an  extract  from  my  journal  as  written  at  the 
time: 

^^  Saturday,  Odohcr  12th,  1861.  At  9  A.M.  I  had  interviews  with 
several  Innuits  concerning  the  important  relic  that  must  still  be 
on  the  island  Oopungnewing.  Ugarng  saw  this  relic  (which  to 
me  is  yet  undetermined  as  to  its  true  character)  when  a  young 
man.  lie  says  that  one  very  strong  Innuit,  now  dead,  could  lift 
it,  and  even  did  shoidder  it.  No  other  Innuit  could  accomplish  the 
same  feat.  Another  lifted  it  to  the  height  of  his  knees,  but  drop- 
ped it  quickly.  Only  very  few  Innuits  were  able  to  raise  it  from 
the  ground.  Suzhi,  at  my  request,  has  just  made  a  pencil  sketch 
of  its  shape — at  least,  as  near  as  she  could.  She  evidently  never 
took  a  pencil  in  her  hand  before.  Ugarng,  who  is  quite  experi- 
enced in  map  sketching,  has  marked  out  its  shape  on  the  same 


462 


ARCTIC  HESEAKCU  EXrEUlTlON. 


leaf  as  Koo-ou-lo-arng's  (Suzlii's)  sketch.  This  has  some  corre- 
spondence to  the  delineation  of  the  one  Artarkparu  made  some 
days  since.     Later : 

"This  minute,  10  15  A.M.,  have  found  out  just  what  this  relic 
is.  It  is  an  anvil!  such  as  were  made  in  former  times,  without 
a  horn. 

"  To  get  at  this,  I  got  Ugarng  to  cut  out  with  his  knife  its  rep- 
resentation in  wood.  When  he  finished  it  I  held  it  out,  askinir 
'■Kis-su?'' — that  is,  What  was  the  heavy  iron  at  Oopungncwing 
formerly  used  for?  His  answer  was  an  intelligible  one,  and  one 
that  (li'tcnniiics  i/ic  nature  of  this  imjMftant  relic  bcijond  all  question. 
Before  I  give  it,  I  will  say  that  this  Innuit  has  been  to  the  States 
{vide  page  102).  While  there  he  desired  to  and  did  visit  various 
manulaeturing  establishments,  being  himself  naturally  of  a  me- 
chanical turn  of  mind.  I  will  now  give  his  answer  on  stating 
that,  holding  the  index  finger  of  his  left  hand  on  the  little  carved 
block  as  I  held  it  up,  with  his  other  hand  angled  into  fist  and 
raised  above  finger  to  represent  liammer,  he  said,  '■All  the  same  as 
blacksmith.^  This  expression,  in  connection  with  his  pertinent 
symbolizing,  settles  the  matter  satisfactorily  to  my  mind  that  this 
relic  of  Frobisher  on  Oopungncwing  is  an  anvil." 


DOABNO'B  -WOOn  MODEL  OF  THE  lUO.S  BELIC.  ABTABKrAUL's   «  UOI>  IIDDEL  OK  THE  IBON  RKI.IC. 

Another  wood  model,*  of  great  similarity  to  the  above  two,  was 
executed  on  the  15th  of  October  by  Annawa. 

When  Ugarng  saw  the  relic,  or  "  heavy  stone,"  it  was  "  red  with 
rust;"  and  Artarkparu  informed  me  that  it  had  been  carried  to 
Oopungncwing  from  Kodlunarn  many  years  ago  by  Innuits  on  a 
sledge.  Annawa,  in  speaking  of  it,  said  "  it  was  something  that 
did  not  grow  there,"  and  each  one  confirmed  the  others'  testi- 
mony, though  examined  apart  and  at  different  times.     Suzhi  also 

•  Thi3  model  I  sent  to  the  English  government  with  many  of  the  Frobishcr  relics 
which  I  discovered  and  obtained  in  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound. 


A  SAD  DISAITOINTMENT.  453 

made  ft  rudo  modol  of  it  by  cliowing 
some  toodnoo  and  then  fashioning  it 
into  the  shape  opposite.  Thus  every 
thing  seemed  to  eonfirm  mo  in  the 
belief  that  the  artiele  probably  yet  to 
be  found  on  Oopungnewing  was  an 
anvil  formerly  belonging  to  Frobish- 
Kooou-L«-AiiNirH  Ti.cn>.Noo  MODBL  OK   Qr's  cxpedltlon  ]  hencG  my  desire  was 

TUB  IIMIN  BKLla  i    i       •       1  /»,1 

great  to  induce  some  of  the  natives  to 
go  for  it,  hoping  they  might  return  before  the  ship  sailed.  But  I 
ibund  no  one  who  cared  to  undertake  the  task. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Captain  B to  leave  the  country  on 

the  20th  of  October,  and  the  minds  of  all  had  been  made  up  ac- 
cordingly. I  was  anxious  to  go,  before  sailing,  to  a  high  point 
near  Bayard  Taylor  Pass,  where  I  could  complete  my  operations 
pertaining  to  the  trigonometrical  survey  I  had  commenced.  AVith 
this  design  I  set  out  on  the  morning  of  October  17th  for  an  ex- 
cursion thither,  and  I  now  copy  from  my  diary  a  portion  of  the 
record  made  on  the  evening  of  that  day  and  on  subsequent  days: 

"10  P.M.  Shall  I  put  upon  paper  my  feelings  of  to-night,  or 
shall  I  leave  them  to  be  imagined  after  stating  the  bare  facts  from 
wliencc  they  originate  ? 

"At  present  it  is  thought  that  we  are  ice-imprisoned  in  Field  Bay 
for  the  winter/  Solid  '■pjacU  in  Davis's  Strait  has  been  seen  to- 
day. How  true  it  is  that  wo  know  not  what  a  day  may  bring 
forth ! 

"A  few  hours  ago  wo  were  anticipating  the  short  time  that  re- 
mained before  the  Georrje  Ilcnri/s  sails  were  to  be  given  to  the 
wind,  and  we  to  be  away  to  our  loved  ones  at  home;  but  now  we 
arc  thinking  of  preparations  for  sustaining  life  in  these  regions  ol" 
ioc  and  snow.  I  must  make  as  enduring  as  ink  and  paper  will 
allow  the  incidents  of  tins  day.  I  begin  with  my  trip  across  to 
the  west  side  of  the  bay,  to  the  highest  mountain-top  between 
Field  Bay  and  the  Bay  of  Frobisher. 

"  Early  this  morning  the  four  boats,  with  the  Georrje  Henry's 
crew,  started  off  to  cruise  for  whales.  I  set  to  work  engaging  a 
crew  of  the  best  Innuits  among  those  who  had  just  come  aboard 
to  accompany  mc  across  the  bay,  and  a  few  minutes  sufficed  for 
this.  Those  selected  were  Ebierbing,  Shcvikoo,  'Jim  Crow,' '  Mi- 
ner,' Oo-ming-mimg,  At-tou-se-ark-chune. 

"After  making  up  the  west  side  of  the  island,  near  which  the 


454  AltCTlC  RESEARCH  EXl'EDITION. 

vessel  is  anchored,  and  which  foms  the  north  and  northwest  side 
of  the  harbor,  I  was  surprised,  to  find  much  ice.  Indeed,  early  this 
morning  there  was  no  ice  in  the  harbor,  but  at  the  time  we  left  it 
had  formed  so  thick  that  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  boat 
could  be  pulled  through  it.  Finding  the  ice  too  heavy  to  make 
progress,  and  apparently  much  thicker  ahead  of  uj,  we  concluded 
to  turn  our  course  and  strike  southwest,  using  the  wind,  which 
was  favorable  to  the  latter  course.  Sail  being  made,  away  wo 
sped  at  a  capital  rate,  occasionally  plowing  through  'sludge,'* 
that  served  greatly  to  deaden  our  speed. 

"At  about  eleven  o'clock  we  reached  the  land  where  the  wintei- 
passage  is  made  in  trr 'ing  to  Frobishei'  Bay.  A  few  minutes  were 
spent  hero  in  deciding  which  of  the  party  should  accompany  mc 
in  my  tramp  to  the  mountain-top.  All  but  one  seemed  reluctant 
to  undertake  it ;  the  one  I  shall  always  remember,  as  he  seemed 
rather  anxious  than  otherwise  to  be  my  attendant ;  it  was  Shevi- 
koo,  an  Innuit  that  I  like  more  the  more  I  see  of  him.  The  rest 
of  the  crew  were  to  remain  with  the  boat,  taking  it,  if  they  chose, 
to  hunt  duck  and  seal. 

"  Shevikoo  and  I  started.  The  first  quarter  of  a  mile  was  over 
a  plain  of  fresh -water  ice  that  had  been  formed  by  sjj  rings  bub- 
bling up  and  spreading  their  waters  about.  This  passed,  we  com- 
menced our  ascent  of  the  rugged  hill  that  lay  between  us  and  the 
mourtain  proper  that  I  desired  to  visit.  A  few  minutes' walk  up 
this  incline  decided  what  kind  of  work  we  had  before  us  for  the 
next  two  or  three  hours.  I  started  from  the  boat  with  my  tuk- 
too  jacket  and  trowscrs  on.  Climbing  rougli  rocks  covered  with 
soft,  treacherous  snow  created  a  hollinj  heat ;  I  therefore  divested 
myself  of  the  said  clothing,  reserving  only  my  civilij^ation  dress. 

"  Resuming  our  walk — or  rather  ouv  leaping,  plunging,  ami 
tumbling,  for  this  was  the  nature  of  our  motions  during  the  five 
hours  wc  were  absent  from  the  boat — our  progress  up  was  slow — 
slow  indeed,  for  the  way  was  really  rugged,  though  not  so  in  ap- 
pearance. Ilad  there  been  no  snow  wc  could  have  got  along  very 
well,  but  as  it  was,  the  traveling  was  terrible.  This  may  be  be- 
lieved when  I  state  that  nearly  the  whole  distance  is  covered  with 
sharp  and  boulder  rocks — rocks  upon  rocks — and  over  these  a 
covering  of  snow  that  made  all  look  fair,  but,  on  attempting  to 

*  .Just  as  the  ice  bcRins  to  mnkc,  somctimos  tlic  sca-w.atcr,  to  si  coiisidprabic  deptli, 
becomes  so  cold  that  it  is  thick  like  porridge — so  thick,  indeed,  that  a  boat  might  ns 
well  be  pulled  through  a  lake  of  tar  ns  through  "sludge." 


THE  ICE-PACK. 


455 


make  passage  over  it,  down  through  soft  snow  we  went  till  our 
feet  rested  on  stones,  which  sometimes  proved  firm  and  sometimes 
proved  man-traps.  Now  and  then  we  sunk  thigh  deep,  our  feet 
dropping  into  chinks,  and  becoming  quite  firmly  wedged  therein. 
As  wc  wound  our  zigzag  way  up  the  steep  mountain,  I  was  ex- 
pecting every  moment  that  my  volunteer  companion  would  refuse 
to  go  farther,  but  in  tliis  I  was  happily  mistaken.  He  was  a 
match  for  me. 

"  I  was  rejoiced  to  find,  as  wc  drew  near  the  top,  that  the  snow 
became  sufficiently  hard  to  bear  us  up,  thus  enabling  us  to  make 
better  progress.  The  summit  was  finally  reached,  and  a  moment's 
look  around  was  sufiicient  to  repay  me  for  all  the  efforts  I  had 
made  to  gain  that  point.  Field  Bay,  Davis's  Strait,  Frobisher 
Bay,  and  Kingaitc  were  within  sight,  I  was  surprised  at  the 
height  we  had  evidently  gained.     Lady  Franklin  Island,  out  in 


FIKI.Ii  llAY   AND  DAVia  8  BTKAIT,  FUOM   TUB  HEIGHTS   HV   UAVAIU)  TAYLOU   I'ASB. 

Davis's  Strait,  Monumental  Island,  and  the  islands  of  the  extreme 
land  between  Frobisher  Bay  and  Field  Bay,  which  I  visited  last 
winter,  loomed  up  as  I  had  never  seen  them  before  at  so  great  a 
distance  from  them,  showing  that  the  high  land  on  whicli  1  was 
was  high  indeed. 

"I  took  the  spy -glass,  and  proceeded  to  make  a  prolonged  ob- 
servation. I  first  directed  the  jlasa  toward  the  vessel,  which 
was  at  a  distance  of  seven  miles ;  I  then  directed  it  to  Davis's 
Str  it.  This  I  saw  was  filled  with  a  heavy  pack.  I  swept  with 
the  instrument  along  down  said  strait  to  the  extremity  of  Hall's 


456  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Island.  No  black  water — naught  but  j^o-ch,  pack,  met  my  view ! 
I  was  somewhat  surprised  at  this,  but  thought  that  perhaps  to 

Captain  B this  would  be  but  a  familiar,  every-year  affair. 

The  sequel  to  this  will  be  soon  written. 

"  I  asked  my  Tnnuit  attendant  to  take  the  glass  ard  '  iak-Jcoo 
seko' — look  at  the  sea-ice.  When  Shevikoo  had  viewed  it  care- 
fully, I  a?ked  him,  '/Selv  amasuil  V — Do  you  see  much  ice  ?  T^o  re- 
pl  ied  '■Noud-ho — noud-loo .'' — Yes — yes.  From  the  deep,  slow  tones 
of  his  voice  as  he  answered  mc  I  understood  that  be  too  was  sur- 
prised at  the  sight.  J.  wondered  how  a  vessel  was  to  get  out  of 
Field  J3ay ;  but  the  next  instant  I  thought,  'Well,  now.  Captain 

B will  find  some  way,  of  course,  which  my  inexperienced 

self  can  not  discover,  by  which  the  George  Henry  can  be  put 
through  that  pack.'  My  thoughts  were  also  of  Captain  Parker 
and  his  son,  who  had,  each  with  a  vessel,  left  about  this  time  last 
year  and  proceeded  home. 

"  I  took  another  prolonged  look,  before  I  left,  at  Davis's  Strait, 
Monumental  Island  was  white,  and  its  sides  presented  no  black 
rock  peering  out ;  and  the  same  was  true  of  Lady  Franklin  IslauJ,. 
The  pack  appeared  very  rough ;  much  pinnacled  ice  was  among 
it,  and  it  was  especially  to  be  seen  around  the  first  island  of  the 
extreme  land  next  Davis's  Strait.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach 
by  the  aid  of  the  most  excellent  glass,  up  and  down  the  strait,  no 
open  water  met  my  view.  I  then  turned  to  Kingaite.  Miles  on 
miles  of  mountain  there  were  before  me.  A  long  line  of  black 
cloud  stretched  from  the  extreme  south  to  the  extreme  northwest, 
just  enveloping  the  tops  of  most  of  the  Kingaite  ridge.  I  was  dis- 
appointed in  not  getting  a  sight  of  Oopungnewing  and  Niounte- 
lik ;  the  ridge  of  another  mountain,  distant  two  miles,  ran  ir.  such 
a  direction  as  to  hide  them,  but  a  small  island  near  Oopungne- 
wing was  in  sight.  The  termination  of  the  grass  plain,  Kus-se- 
gear-ark -ju-a,  opposite  and  near  Niountelik,  was  within  view.  The 
little  bay  on  the  Frobisher  Bay  side,  making  up  to  within  one 
mile  of  Field  Bay,  was  nearly  down  beneath  us. 

"On  climbing  this  mountain  my  clothing  became  saturated 
with  perspiration.  On  making  the  top  the  wind  was  blowing 
cuttftgly  cold,  thus  serving  to  chill  mc  too  hastily  for  comfort  or 
for  long  endurance.  Before  I  finished  tlie  observations  I  made 
up  there  I  came  near  freezing  my  fingers,  and  the  time  was  long, 
after  leaving  that  exposed  positic,  before  I  could  bring  them 
back  to  their  natural  warmth.     The  stinging  pains  I  endured  in 


STARTLING  NEWS.  457 

those  fingers  while  the  restoration  was  going  on  seemed  almost 
unbearable. 

"  We  remained  forty-five  minutes  on  this  mountain-top.  Had 
it  not  been  for  the  lateness  of  the  hour  I  should  have  proceeded 
two  miles  farther;  this  distance  would  have  led  me  to  the  ridge 
which  limited  my  view,  shutting  out  from  sight  the  interesting 
places  named.  This  ridge  is  by  the  entrance  to  the  little  bay,  or, 
more  properly,  the  harbor  making  up  nearest  Field  Bay. 

"Taking  a  last  look  at  the  scenery  around,  we  started  down  the 
mountain.  Our  stops  were  rapid.  I  had  the  misfortune  to  get 
one  severe  fall.  As  we  were  descending  the  steepest  part,  my 
right  foot  caught  between  two  stones  that  were  deep  beneath  a 
snow-covering,  and  the  swift  rate  at  which  I  was  going  threw  me 
headlong  while  I  was  fast  in  the  rocks.  I  recovered  myself  anC 
extricated  my  foot,  though  not  until  the  cramp  had  seized  my  leg 
and  tied  knots  in  it.  I  cried  lustily  to  Shevikoo,  who  was  ten 
rods  ahead,  lie  did  not  hear  me  at  first,  but  the  second  call 
brought  him  to.  I  managed  to  get  the  knots  rubbed  out  of  my 
leg  before  he  reached  me,  though  it  was  some  time  before  I  could 
proceed.  The  time  of  our  descent  was  not  a  quarter  of  that  con- 
sumed in  going  up.  When  within  a  mile  of  the  boat  I  saw  the 
balance  of  my  crew  awaiting  our  return,  and  we  reached  the  boat 
at  -i  P.Ar.,  having  been  five  hours  absent  from  it. 

"We  started  at  once  for  the  vessel,  making  slow  progress  at 
first  on  account  of  the  ice.  At  length  we  reached  open  water, 
raised  sail,  and  sped  along.  As  we  approached  the  harbor  we 
found  that  the  ice  had  become  so  thick  that  it  was  only  by  hard 
pulling,  and  hard  drives  of  the  oars  into  it,  that  we  got  to  the  ship. 

As  soon  as  I  was  aboard,  I  asked  Captain  B if  his  men  had 

another  whale.  lie  replied  that  as  yet  he  did  not  know,  but  the 
indications  were,  as  his  boats  were  not  in,  that  they  had.  He  was 
in  fine  spirits.  But,  alas!  how  soon  were  they  changed  to  the 
very  depth  of  grief! 

"Shevikoo  was  the  first  one  of  the  crew  up  the  side  of  the  ves- 
sel.   As  soon  as  he  got  aboard  he  told  Captain  B we  had 

seen  much  ice  down  at  the  entrance  of  the  bay.    When  I  went 

down  below,  Captain  B came  to  me  asking  if  I  had  seen  any 

heavy  ice — -/irtc/i: — in  Davis's  Strait.  I  told  him  that  I  had,  and 
proceeded  to  give  him  as  truthful  an  account  of  it  as  I  could.  I 
was  astounded  at  the  effect  it  produced  upon  him.  Then  it  was 
that  I  first  began  to  realize,  to  feel  the  overwhelming  importance. 


458  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

the  momentous  character  of  that  pack.  On  getting  through  my 
description,  telling  him  that  I  not  only  took  repeated  careful  looks 
of  it  through  his  glass,  but  had  required  Shevikoo  to  do  the  same. 

Captain  B ,  with  fevered  brow,  responded, '  Our  fate  is  sealed! 

Another  lointer  here  !    We  are  already  imjirisonedr 

"  This  was  now  the  theme,  the  all-important  subject  of  thought 

of  every  one  who  heard  Captain  B 's  explanation  of  how  it 

was  that  all  hope  of  returning  to  the  States  this  season  was  now 
cut  off.  Captain  B no  longer  felt  able  to  rejoice  at  the  cap- 
ture of  another  whale.  To  and  fro  he  paced  the  cabin — now  on 
deck — another  moment  back  again. 

"  At  eight  o'clock  the  four  boats  came  in  announcing  the  fact 
that  another  whale  had  been  secured.  At  any  other  time  this  in- 
telligence would  have  been  received  by  Captain  B with  a 

joyful  heart,  but  now  he  was  occupied  in  thinking  what  he  was 
to  do  under  the  present  dismal  circumstances.  When  the  boats 
came  in  and  were  placed  in  position  on  their  cranes,  the  captain 
broke  to  the  ofRcers  the  subject  that  now  before  all  others  press- 
ed upon  him.  During  the  evening  ho  proceeded  to  state  that, 
from  various  circumstances  during  the  year,  he  had  been  think- 
ing there  might  be  something  of  the  kind,  to  wit,  pack-ice,  com- 
ing down  Davis's  Strait.  He  said, '  Last  winter  hung  on  late ; 
there  has  been  no  summer;  the  year  has  been  an  unusually  cold 
one ;  the  water  of  the  bay  has  been  almost  of  sea-ice  temperature, 
while  now  the  first  cold  snap  turns  it  at  once  to  porridge,  and 
then  into  solid  ice.  All  these  results  are  from  the  heavy  pack 
that  has  probably  been  coming  down  Davis's  Strait  nearly  all  the 
season.' 

"  Captain  B said,  farther,  that  to  take  the  pack  at  this  sea- 
son of  the  year  would  be  the  very  height  of  foolhardiness.  In 
the  spring  the  whalers  do  not  hesitate  to  do  it,  for  then  constant 
daylight  and  warm,  thawing  weather  are  expected.  But  now 
(3very  thing  is  freezing  up.  Long,  dark  nights  arc  upon  us,  and 
the  George  Henry  is  not  such  a  vessel  that  one  should  think  of 

venturing  with  her  into  dangerous  places.    Captain  B is 

thankful  that  I  made  the  trip  I  have  to-day.  lie  says,  '  What 
would  have  been  our  condition  had  you  not  seen  and  icportcd 
this  ?  As  soon  as  possible  I  should  have  been  on  our  way ;  I 
should  have  weighed  anchors  and  raised  sail  at  the  first  far  wind. 
But  in  what  kind  of  a  situation  should  we  soon  have  found  our- 
selves?    In  the  pack,  irithout  the  power  to  retreat  P 


OUR  FATE  DECIDED.  459 

"  To-morrow  morning  Captain  B goes  out  for  the  object 

of  visiting  some  point  overlooking  Davis's  Strait,  near  the  en- 
trance to  Field  Bay,  to  determine  what  he  must  do  on  seeing  how 
the  pack  is.  It  is  hoped  that  he  will  find  the  pack  I  saw  ended; 
but  he  says  he  has  no  doubt,  from  what  I  saw,  that  it  will  be  im- 
possible to  get  out  this  season ;  that  we  must  make  up  our  minds 
to  stop  here  this  winter.  He  is  already  planning  for  the  winter- 
ing of  his  men.  He  says  he  will  have  to  divide  them  among  the 
natives,  as  the  ship  has  neither  provision  nor  fuel  sufiicient  to  last 

till  she  is  again  free  from  ice  and  can  reach  home. 

******* 

^^  Friday,  October  18th,  1861.  This  morning,  the  first  and  all-im- 
portant matter  of  our  being  obliged  to  winter  here  absorbs  our  at- 
tention. It  is  the  general  subject  of  conversation  fore  and  aft. 
Captain  B started  off"  at  7  A.M.,  taking  with  him  his  princi- 
pal officers,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  survey  from  Budington 
Mountain*  of  the  pack  in  Davis's  Strait.  At  9  15  A.M.  he  re- 
turned, reporting  that  Rescue  Harbor  was  so  solidly  frozen  that 
he  could  not  get  through  it,  and  was  obliged  to  make  for  another 
point  this  side.  At  last  he  made  a  landing,  and  proceeded  to  an 
eminence  this  side ;  but  it  was  not  such  a  view  as  he  desired  to 
make,  though  he  saw  enough  to  satisfy  him  that  it  would  only  be 
running  a  terrible  risk  to  attempt  getting  out  this  season.  Cap- 
tain B designs  crossing  the  bay  to  the  high  land  by  Parker's 

Harbor,  or  near  French  Head,  to-day  or  to-morrow,  if  the  ice  will 

admit  of  it. 

******* 

"  October  20th,  1861.  This  morning  the  ice  in  the  harbor  was  so 
firm  as  to  bear  me  up.  As  soon  as  I  went  on  deck,  long  before 
the  sun  was  up,  I  made  my  way  down  the  ship's  side  upon  it. 
The  pack  outside  the  bay  and  the  new  ice  now  nearly  covering  it 
have  us  imprisoned.  For  nine  months  to  come  v;e  are  ice-hound! 
Some  of  the  men  still  think  wc  shall  get  out,  but  I  do  not  think 
Captain  B has  now  the  remotest  idea  that  we  can. 

"  Now  (1.  P.M.)  the  thermometer  is  at  13°,  the  sun  shining 
briglitly,  the  sky  cloudless.  For  three  days  now,  had  there  been 
a  clear  way  before  us,  we  could  not  have  got  out,  for  there  has 

*  Named  by  me  after  S.  O.  Budington,  who  was  master  of  the  George  Henri/. 
This  mount,  500  feet  liigh,  is  in  hu.  C2°  53'  N.,  long.  VA'^  42'  W. ;  is  three  miles  due 
cast  of  the  Georpe  Henry  Harbor,  and  a  little  over  one  mile  northeast  of  the  centre 
of  Rescue  Harbor. 


460  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

not  been  wind  enough  to  fill  the  sails.  Surely  toe  are  doomed  lo 
winter  here.  Another  year  of  disappointment  is  mine ;  my  mis- 
sion to  the  North  yet  unaccomplished,  I  was  rejoicing  in  my  heart 
that  the  time  had  nearly  arrived  when  I  should  be  on  my  way  to 
the  States  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  again  for  the  voyage  to 
King  William's  Land,  when  a  thunderbolt  descends  from  an  icy 
sky  and  rives  my  dearest  plans !  But  stop  I  is  not  the  hand  of 
God  in  this  ?  is  all  this  luck  ?  The  wisdom  of  Him  who  sees  all, 
and  doth  as  lie  willcth,  is  above  all  the  comprehension  of  mortals. 
«  *  *  *  *  Monday,  October  21s^  1861.  The  ice  this  morn- 
ing I  find  by  measurement  to  be  four  inches  thick.  During  the 
night  it  was  nearly  calm,  and  the  thermometer  ranged  from  9°  to 
10°.  Notwithstanding  the  dubious  circumstances  by  which  we 
have  been  surrounded  for  the  past  few  days,  wo  have  all  had 
more  or  less  hope  of  still  arriving  at  our  homes  this  winter;  but, 
dreaded  as  it  is,  wo  have  to  bring  our  hearts  to  submit  to  this  dis- 
pensation of  Providence.  The  George  Henry  is  fated  to  be  ice- 
bound here  for  full  nine  months  to  come.  The  20th  of  October, 
instead  of  finding  us  on  our  way  as  purposed,  with  hearts  swell- 
ing with  joyous  anticipations  of  a  quick  passage  home  and  of 
soon  meeting  with  our  loved  ones,  finds  us  engaged  in  planning 
for  subsistence  during  an  imprisonment  of  nine  months  in  these 
frozen  regions.  What  a  change  I  what  disappointment !  and  yet 
who  shall  say  it  has  not  been  wisely  ordered.     '  Man  proposes — 

God  disposes;  cheerfully,  then,  we  should  submit  to  our  lot. 
*  -x-  *  *  *  *  -x- 

^^ Friday,  October  26t/i,  1861.  This  morning,  to  all  appearance, 
our  winter's  fate  is  sealed.  The  ice  is  now  seven  inches  thick, 
and  is  rapidly  increasing.  It  is  now  twelve  o'clock,  noon,  the  sun 
shining  brightly,  the  wind  blowing  strong  from  the  northwest, 
and  the  thermouicter  only  one  degree  above  zero. 

"After  breakfiist  Ca{)tain  B sent  out  three  Innuits  to  go  to 

Budington  Mountain  and  see  the  position  of  the  pack.  They  re- 
turned at  half  past  four;  their  report  removes  the  hope  of  all  those 
who  were  still  looking  to  get  out  of  our  imprisonment  this  season. 
The  Innuits  state  that  seaward  it  is  all  ice ;  the  bay  is  all  ice  ex- 
cept the  small  opening  to  be  seen  from  the  ship's  deck.  The 
lower  and  entrance  part  of  the  bay  is  filled  with  ^mck;  m  Davis's 
Strait  nothing  is  to  be  seen  but  pack — '  all  white,  no  black.'  The 
effect  produced  by  this  upon  some  of  the  George  Henry's  men  was 
very  painful. 


FOOD  AND  FUEL.  401 

"  Feelings  of  disappointment — sad  disappointment — steal  over 
me  now  and  then  at  our  not  being  able  to  proceed  according  to 
our  plans  ;  but  I  confidently  believe  it  is  all  for  the  best." 

It  was  upon  Captain  B that  the  care  and  anxiety  princi- 
pally fell.  lie  had  to  plan  and  arrange  for  his  ship's  company 
during  another  nine  or  ten  months,  and  there  was  but  a  scanty 
supply  of  provisions  and  fuel  to  do  it  with.  As  to  the  latter 
want,  that  could  be  met  in  various  ways.  The  jawbones  of  three 
whales  recently  captured  would  serve  for  a  long  time ;  one  of 
these  was  sawed,  chopped,  and  split  for  use.  The  bone  is  very 
porous,  and  filled  with  oil ;  the  heat  from  it  is  great.  One  cord 
of  bone  must  be  equivalent  to  four  cords  of  live  oak.  There  was 
also  some  timber  of  the  wrecked  whaler  down  the  bay. 

As  it  regarded  food,  we  had  to  husband  our  stores  very  care- 
fully. On  Sunday,  October  27tli,  a  new  order  of  things  com- 
menced, and  instead  of  three  meals  a  day  we  had  only  two. 
Bread  or  flour  was  the  most  nourishing  food  then  on  board,  with 
the  exception  of  beans,  which  were  to  be  served  out  twice  a  week. 
There  was  salt  junk  and  salt  pork,  but  eating  cither  was  felt  to 
be  almost  worse  than  being  without.  Thus  wc  soon  found  it 
best  to  fall  back  upon  our  Innuit  food,  and  it  would  have  amused 
many  persons  at  home  to  have  seen  our  mes.ses  at  our  daily  meals. 
Some,  too,  would  have  wondered  how  we  could  eat  such  stulF: 
but  certainly  that  sui'prise  would  cease  when  they  were  told  wc 
must  cat  it  in  order  to  live.  I  do  not  think  it  can  be  said  that 
any  of  us  ate  "  black  skin"  (whale  skin)  and  other  Inmiit  food  be- 
cause we  really  liked  it.  .Some  wise  person  has  said  that  man 
should  not  live  to  cat,  but  cat  to  live.  Wn  were  of  the  latter 
class,  hence  the  necessity  of  rcli.shing  whatever  came  in  our  way. 

I  may  here  mention  an  incident  that  occui-red  about  this  time 
which  shows  the  simplicity  of  the  Innuit  character  in  matters  con- 
nected with  money.    Of  course  monci/,  as  we  have  it,  is  to  them 

unknown.     One  day  "John  Bull"  came  to  Captain  B to  buy 

a  new  one-dollar  shirt,  handing  him  tn-o  American  cents  as  pay- 
ment. Ugarng,  in  like  manner,  tried  to  buy  a  violin  to  which  he 
had  taken  a  fixncy.  The  violin  belonged  to  Bailey,  one  of  the 
steerage  hands,  and  Ugarng,  calling  him  aside,  whispered  in  his 
ear,  "  Viddle,  viddle — wonga — pilt^tay — money,"  and  then  slipped 
into  Bailey's  hand  what  he  supposed  to  be  a  generous  sum,  o?!e 
cei\t  of  the  latest  coinage.  But  Bailey  could  not  trade  for  that, 
and  Ugarng  went  away  without  his  "  viddle." 


462  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXrEDITION. 

I  conclude  this  chapter  with  an  extract  from  my  diary  of  Octo- 
ber 80th : 

"  The  George  Henry  is  short  of  provisions  for  the  time  she  is 
now  obliged  to  remain  here.  I  have  already  signified  to  Captain 
B what  I  know  will,  under  the  circumstances,  meet  the  ap- 
probation of  the  contributors  to  the  expenses  of  my  out6j;  in  the 
way  of  provision,  ammunition,  etc.  I  have  told  him  that  whatev- 
er I  have  that  will  contribute  to  the  sustenance  of  his  ship's  com- 
pany the  present  winter,  the  same  is  at  his  command.  I  have 
nine  cans  of  pemmican,  of  about  one  hundred  pounds  each,  re- 
maining of  the  twelve  and  a  half  which  I  had  when  I  left  the 
States.  I  have  also  one  and  a  half  casks  of  Borden's  meat-biscuit. 
The  pemmican  and  meat-biscuit  are  of  the  most  excellent  quality, 
and  equivalent  to  fully  3200  pounds  of  fresh  beefsteak.  Of  these 
articles,  as  also  of  ammunition,  I  have  already  spoken  to  Caijtain 

B ,  saying  that  they  were  ready  to  supply  his  and  the  ship's 

company's  necessities." 


DEATH  OF  SHAKIvEY'S  WIFE.  463 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Sick  Mflm-ma-yat-chc-nng  immured  in  a  living  Tomb ! — The  dying  Woman  lingers 
for  Weeks,  almost  starving. — Tlio  Aurora  Borenlis. — A  mngnificcnt  Display. — 
Strange  Custom  relating  to  new  Mothers. — Nukertou's  Grave. — More  singular 
Ciistonis. — A  Talk  with  the  Dead. — Presents  to  the  Departed. — Life  in  the  Win- 
ter.— Theatricals  on  Board. — Henry  Smith,  the  "Negress." — Consternation  of 
some  of  tho  Innuits  on  seeing  a  black  Face. — Another  Excursion. — A  Winter 
Sledge-journey. — Old  Mother  Petato. — Novel  Modo  of  warming  tho  Feet. — More 
traditionary  Statements. — A  groat  Feast. — Frozen  Deer. — Deer's  Paunch  con- 
sidered delicious  Food. — Return  to  the  Ship. — Visit  Tikkoou. — Tradition  of  a 
Ship  built  and  masted. 

I  BKGIN  this  chapter  -witli  the  sketch  from  my  diary  of  a  sad 
scene  which  passed  under  my  observation : 

"  October  28th,  1861.  This  morning,  or  during  the  night,  'Jfam- 
ma-yat-che-ung,^  'Mary,'  the  wife  of  '  Sharkey,'  died.  This  Iniiuit 
woman  has  long  been  an  invalid.  Ilcr  disease  was  consumption, 
one  that  is  carrying  oft'  more  Innuits  than  all  other  diseases  to- 
gether. Some  months  ago  it  was  thought  she  could  not  survive 
long ;  tho  Innuits  gave  her  up,  I  may  add,  as  one  dead.  Iler 
loiwj-a — husband — Sharkey,  though  all  his  previous  conduct  was 
kind  to  her,  gave  her  up  as  dead.  A  tupic  was  made,  and  into  it 
Mary  was  removed ;  it  was  her  living  tomb !  Sharkey  took  to 
himself  another  wife.  For  weeks  and  weeks  Mary  lived  help- 
less and  almost  starving.  Occasionally  some  few  of  the  Innuits 
would  carry  this  dj'ing  woman  morsels  of  seal,  duck,  or  walrus. 
Of  course,  all  that  was  valuable  or  convenient  for  Mary's  com- 
fort was  taken  away  when  the  Innuits  carried  her  to  the '  house 
of  her  death,'  for  it  is  their  custom  to  leave  every  thing  in  the 
tupic  or  igloo  where  one  of  their  number  dies  as  unfit  to  be  touch- 
ed ever  after.  Mary  must  have  died  during  the  night,  for  when 
Suzhi  called  this  morning  at  the  tupic  with  cooked  meituk — duck 
— sent  her  by  Tookoolito,  no  answer  was  made,  and,  on  looking 
in,  Suzhi  saw  that  she  was  dead.  Innuit  custom  will  not  permit 
one  of  that  people  to  enter  the  place  of  the  dead  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. One  of  tlie  Innuits  came  over  to  the  vessel  and  an- 
nounced the  death  of  Mary,  and  Captain  B ,  with  one  of  the 

ship's  men,  went  over  to  bury  her.     The  captain  looked  in,  and 


46-i  AUCTIC  IlESEAllCII  EXIT-DITION. 

saw  enough  to  chill  one's  heart's  blood.  The  corpse  met  hia 
view  uith  head  erect,  and  eyes  staring  at  him  with  the  overpow- 
ering glare  of  death  1  The  tupic  beeaine  her  winding-sheet,  and 
stones  were  piled  over  lier — her  only  monument." 

On  November  2d,  at  G  P.M.,  there  was  another  magnificent  dis- 
play of  the  aurora.  From  east  to  west — .«outh  of  us — was  a  beau- 
tiful arch  of  living  gold.  The  eastern  base  rested,  to  all  aj^pcar- 
ancc,  on  the  high  land,  as  did  also  the  western,  and  the  centre  ol 
the  arch  was  10°  above  the  horizon  south. 


AUUuiiA  AS  ki;l.n  H'.<im  iii;i.i)  hay,  novemhi.ii  'J,  1-iil. 

The  wind  was  blowing  strong,  and  the  aurora  truly  appeared 
as  possessing  life.  It  danced  to  and  fro  from  one  extreme  to  tlic 
other.  Its  colors  rivaled  the  rainbow,  the  pea-green  predomina- 
ting ever  the  other  hues.  At  the  east  a  bank  of  golden  ra3'S  shot 
up  far  above  all  the  rest.  Tlie  stars  were  obscured  as  the  "  mer- 
rie  dancers"  swept  along  in  piles  of  coruscations.  The  arch  con- 
tinued to  recede,  falling  lower  and  lower;  the  revcr.se  is  the  usual 
course  of  the  aurora,  as  far  as  my  observation  has  extended.  Not 
a  cloud  could  be  seen. 


FOOD  FOR  THE  DEAD.  467 

At  7  30  P.M.  the  aurora  was  lifting  its  arcltes  zenithward ; 
tliere  were  now  two  reaching  from  east  to  west,  and  for  some  por- 
tion of  the  way  there  were  tliree.  The  wind  was  blowing  almost 
a  gale,  the  thermometer  being  %°  above  zero.  The  stronger  the 
breeze,  the  more  beautiful  was  the  aurora,  the  brisker  its  races 
and  dancings,  and  the  more  glowing  its  colors,  I  find  in  my 
diary  the  following  entry  with  reference  to  this  sublime  spec- 
tacle : 

"I  wish  all  my  friends  in  the  States  could  witness  the  aurora 
as  seen  in  these  regions,  I  am  sure,  on  beholding  it  as  now  seen, 
they  would  clap  their  hands  and  sing,  '  Praise  to  God,  for  lie 
hath  surrounded  us  with  the  heavens  full  of  glory !' 

"  Never  shall  I  forget  when,  last  winter.  Captain  B ,  Mate 

Gardiner,  and  myself  were  on  deck,  witnessing  one  of  the  rare 

displays  just  described.     In  truth,  we  did  tremble.  Captain  B 

exclaiming,  ^1  never  loish  to  behold  Ihe  like  again.'     And  so  I  felt." 

I  accompany  this  description  ar.d  illustration  with  a  picture  of 
a  still  more  remarkable  display  which  occurred  on  the  evening 
of  October  13th,  1860,  one  feature  connected  with  which  was  a 
meteor  of  great  brilliancy ;  it  shot  from  a  })oint  in  the  heavens 
near  Cassiopeia,  crossing  Ursa  Minor,  and  losing  itself  among  the 
folds  of  Draco.  It  was  followed  by  a  trail  of  light  twenty  degrees 
in  length. 

On  November  4th  I  visited  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito.  Dur- 
ing my  stay  the  latter  informed  me  that  she  had  to  make  calls 
the  next  day  in  all  the  tuples,  and  perhaps  at  the  ship.  On  my 
asking  the  reason,  she  answered  that  her  infant  would  be  two 
months  old,  and  that  it  was  the  custom — the  first  Innuits  having 
done  so — for  the  mother  to  call  at  every  tupic  of  the  village  at 
the  end  of  the  period  mentioned.  During  these  two  months  Too- 
koolito had  not  been  into  any  tupic  except  her  own.  She  added 
that,  in  accordance  Avith  custom,  she  should  cast  away  all  the 
clothing  she  then  had  on,  and  should  never  touch  it  again. 

Soiiae  time  after  I  was  informed  that  the  grave  of  Nukertou 
had  been  visited  by  Innuits,  according  to  another  of  their  singu- 
lar customs.  They  took  down  small  pieces  of  tuktoo  skin  with 
the  fur  on,  and  of  toodnoo.  When  there,  they  stood  around  her 
grave,  upon  which  they  placed  the  articles  they  had  brought. 
Then  one  of  them  stepped  up,  took  a  piece  of  the  tuktoo,  cut  a 
slice  and  ate  it,  at  the  same  time  cutting  off  another  slice  and  plac- 
ing it  under  a  stone  by  the  grave.     Then  the  knife  was  passed 


4f?S  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXrEDlTION. 

from  one  hand  to  the  other,  both  hands  being  thrown  behind  the 
person.  This  form  of  shifting  the  implement  was  continued  for 
perha})s  a  minute,  the  motions  being  accompanied  by  constant  talk 
L^Hh  the  dead.  Then  a  piece  of  tuktoo  fur  and  some  toodnoo  were 
placed  under  the  stone,  with  an  exclamation  signifying,  "Here, 
Nukertou,  is  something  to  eat  and  something  to  keep  you  warm." 
Each  of  the  Innuits  also  went  through  the  same  forms. 

I  w'as  told  by  Tookoolito  that  this  strange  custom  was  invari- 
ably practised  among  the  Innuits.  But  they  never  visit  the 
grave  of  a  departed  friend  until  some  months  after  death,  and 
even  then  only  when  all  the  surviving  members  of  the  family 
have  removed  to  another  place.  Whenever  they  return  to  the 
vicinity  of  their  kindred's  grave,  a  visit  is  made  to  it  with  the 
hed  of  food  as  presents  to  the  departed  one.  Neither  seal,  Kinoo, 
nor  walrus,  however,  is  taken. 

At  the  time  of  this  visit  but  little  remained  of  Nukcrtou's  body  ; 
there  were  a  few  bones  and  some  hair,  but  the  hungry  dogs,  dur- 
ing the  previous  winter,  had  broken  into  the  snow-tomb  and  eat- 
en away  all  her  flesh. 

On  November  23d  the  Innuits  began  to  build  their  igloos,  or 
winter  habitations,  in  the  ])lace  of  their  summer  tents.  On  the 
'25lh  a  great  many  of  the  natives  came  on  board  to  pass  the  even- 
ing with  our  foremast  hands.  They  sjjcnt  some  time  in  singing 
and  dancing  to  whistling  and  the  music  of  an  instrument  called 
the  "  kceloun."*  The  sport  served  an  excellent  purpose  in  keep- 
ing all  in  good  spirits  and  helj)ing  to  pass  awa}'  the  long  night. 

The  following  night,  November  26th,  "  theatrical"'  performances 
took  place  on  board  the  George  Ilenrij.  The  cabin  was  fdled  to 
its  utmost  capacity  with  Innuits  and  the  shii)'s  crew.  "Jim 
Crow,"  the  son  of  Artarkparu,  occu))ied  the  centre  of  the  cabin, 
and  was  performing  on  the  "  keeloun,"  while  the  other  Innuits 
were  seated  all  around,  the  female  portion  singing  to  the  music. 
I  made  my  way  to  the  little  after-cabin,  and  there  seated  myself 
so  as  to  have  a  full  view  of  what  was  going  on.  n 

The  keeloun  was  accompanied  by  a  tand)ourine  made  by  Mr. 
Lamb.     Another  instrument  was  a  trianijle,  a  steel  square  pend- 

*  The  "  kcclDun''  is  an  instriinicnt  itiixlo  liy  strctcliinj;  n  fliin  deerskin,  or  the 
skin  of  the  whale's  liver,  iij)(iii  a  wuoileii  or  whalehone  hoop  uhoiit  thirty  inehcs  in 
diameter,  torming  something  not  very  nnlike  the  tanihourinc  known  in  tliis  coun- 
try. It  is  held,  however,  hy  a  handle,  and  the  ]ilayer  strikes,  not  the  skin,  but  the 
hoop,  nccoinpanyinj;  Ids  musie  by  an  uncouth  sort  of  dance. 


GOOD  TIME  IN  GENERAL. 


469 


I'LAVINU  THE  "KF.EI.nUN.' 


ont  from  .1  low  string,  and  struck  with  an  iron  spoon.  The 
keeloun  was  played  in  turn  by  Annawa,  Ooksin,  Koojcssc,  and 
young  Smith,  a  la  negro  f  While  Annawa  was  going  through  the 
"sweating"  process,  playing  the  instrument  and  dancing  the  ridic- 
ulously wild  figures  that  arc  indispensable,  according  to  Innuit 
ideas,  bis  music  being  accompanied  by  a  full  chorus  of  native  fe- 
male voices,  there  came  bouncing  into  the  very  midst  a  strapping 
negrcss,  setting  the  whole  house  in  a  roar  of  laughter.  It  was 
young  Smith  dressed  in  this  character.  The  tambourine  was 
passed  into  his  hands,  and  he  soon  did  full  justice  to  the  instru- 
ment, his  or  her  sable  fists  soon  knocking  a  bole  through  the 
whale's  liver  skin  with  whicli  it  was  covered. 
When  Smith  first  entered  some  of  the  Innuit  women  were 


470  ARCTIC  RESEAKCII  EXPEDITION. 

mucb  fiigbtened.  Jennie,  the  angcko,  was  seated  near  me,  and 
she  tried  to  put  as  great  a  distance  as  possible  between  herself 
and  the  negress,  believing  the  apparition  to  be  an  evil  spirit.  But 
all  shortly  became  reconciled  to  the  stranger,  especially  when 
Smith  resumed  his  place,  playing  and  shouting,  Innuit-like,  and 
making  so  much  fun  that  all  our  sides  ached  with  laughter. 
Even  the  singing  women  were  obliged  occasionally  to  give  way 
and  join  in  the  merriment. 

The  negress  was  next  called  on  to  act  as  drummer.  Ooksin 
held  the  keeloun  while  she  performed  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  "  Hail 
Columbia,"  and  other  pieces,  with  admirable  skill  and  effect,  using 
two  iron  spoons  for  drum-sticks.  The  Jirtale  was  a  dance  by  two 
Innuit  ladies  and  tv?o  of  the  ship's  crew,  the  music  being  fur- 
nished by  Bailey  with  his  "  viddle." 

At  the  early  hour  of  half  past  six  the  performances  closed,  all 
concerned  being  highly  pleased  with  the  enjoyments  of  the  even- 
ing, "A  hearty  laugh  is  as  good  as  a  feast."  The  number  of 
Innuit  guests  exceeded  fifty ;  many  of  the  ladies  were  ornament- 
ed in  the  height  of  foshion  among  the  arctic  aristocracy.  The 
brightly-glittering  head-bands,  and  the  pendents  of  variegated 
beads  which  hung  from  each  side  of  their  hair,  made  the  assembly 
look  quite  theatre-like,  Tookoolito  was  present  with  her  infant, 
as  were  many  other  ladies  with  similar  organs  of  melody  at  their 
backs. 

On  the  28th  of  November  we  celebrated  Thanksgiving  Day  to 
the  best  of  our  ability.  It  is  true,  we  had  no  turkeys,  roast  beef, 
or  onions ;  but  yet  we  had  something  extra — something  besides 
whale,  salt  junk,  salt  pork,  and  hard  bread.  It  was  a  sea-pie  of 
foxes.  The  arctic  fox  is  a  very  pretty  species,  and  is  killed  in 
considerable  numbers  by  the  Innuits  for  its  flesh  and  its  fine 
white  fur. 

The  time  wore  on  without  many  incidents  especially  worthy 
of  note  till  the  10th  of  December.     I  must,  however,  mention  one 

scene  wh"  h  was  deeply  interesting.    Captain  B and  several 

of  the  aft  hands  were  in  the  main  cabin,  where  were  also  Shcvi- 
koo,  Koojesse,  and  other  Innuits,  The  captain  had  a  way  of  his 
own  in  occasionally  breaking  out  in  strong,  unmistakable  terms 
against  that  northern  country.  While  speaking  of  it  on  the 
evening  referred  to,  he  said,  "  Koojesse,  what  do  you  have  such  a 
cold,  bleak,  barren,  mountainous,  rocky,  icy,  stormy,  freezing  coun- 
try here  for,  unfit  for  a  white  man  or  any  one  else  to  live  in  ?" 


A  TALK  WITH  KAK-PING.  471 

It  was  at  once  noticed  tbat  the  Innuit  Shevikoo  was  bathed  in 
tears,  and  such  of  the  other  Innuits  as  comprehended  the  words 

of  Captain  B seemed  much  liurt.    IIow  true  that  every  one 

likes  hjs  own  country  best.  Shevikoo  was  one  of  the  noblest  of 
his  people ;  he  could  not  repress  the  flood  of  tears  that  burst  forth 
on  hearing  his  native  land  thus  spoken  of. 

As  soon  as  it  was  fairly  decided  that  the  George  Henry  must  re- 
main imbedded  in  the  ice  through  another  winter,  I  determined 
to  make,  as  soon  as  possible,  a  sledge  journey  up  Frobisher  Bay 
lor  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  complete  exploration  of  every  bay 
and  inlet  in  those  waters,  and  also  of  investigating  still  more 
closely  the  matters  connected  with  the  Countess  of  Warwick's 
Sound.  Previous  to  this,  however,  it  became  necessary  for  me  to 
make  a  shorter  trip  to  Jones's  Cape,  in  order  to  obtain  reindeer 
skins  by  trading  with  the  natives ;  these  I  wanted  for  bedding 
and  winter  dresses  for  myself  and  for  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito, 
and  to  bring  home  with  mc  to  the  United  States. 

On  Tuesday,  December  10th,  I  went  over  to  Ebierbing's  tupic 
to  see  him  about  going  on  this  excursion  with  me.  While  talk- 
ing with  Tookoolito  I  asked  her  to  go  with  me  to  sec  the  old  In- 
nuit whoso  name  is  Kar-pimj^  for  I  wanted  to  talk  with  him.  Be- 
fore we  started  there  came  into  the  tui)ic  a  young  Innuit  with 
Toc^koolito's  infant,  its  whole  length  stuck  into  the  leg  of  a  pair 
of  tuktoo7i'0(/////y:,^-brecches.  The  fur  turned  inside  made  a  warm 
envelope  for  the  body  of  the  child,  otherwise  naked,  except  for  a 
tuktoo  cap  and  jacket.  Tookoolito  then  sent  the  young  man  who 
brought  the  infant  for  old  Karping,  who  soon  came  in.  lie  had 
quite  a  stock  of  gray  whiskers  and  mustache,  and  I  should  think 
he  was  from  sixty-five  to  seventy  years  old, 

Tookoolito  acted  as  my  interpreter,  aud  I  cautioned  her  not  to 
assist  the  old  man  by  any  remarks  of  her  own.  I  first  asked, 
"  Have  you  ever  heard  of  a  place  called  Kodlunarn  ?"  lie  re- 
plied, "  I  have.  It  is  a  small  island,  and  near  Oopungnewing." 
"  Why  is  it  called  Kodlunarn  ?"  "  Because  white  men  lived  there, 
and  built  oo-mi-ark-chu-a" —  ship.  "  Did  3'ou  see  the  kodlunas 
who  lived  on  Kodlunarn  and  built  ship  there  ?"  Raising  up  his 
eyes,  with  wonder  pictured  in  them,  at  the  question,  he  said 
''Argi:' 

He  then  proceeded  to  say  that  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  was 
born;  he  knew  nothing  about  it  but  what  his  old  father  and 
mother  told  him.     I  asked  him  how  the  white  men  could  build  a 


472  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

ship  i)i  the  Innuit  country  where  trees  did  not  grow,  where  there 
was  no  wood,  no  iron,  no  materials  of  any  sort.  I  told  Tookoo- 
lito  to  say  to  him  that  it  sounded  very  strange  to  me  to  hear  about 
ship-building  there.  Tookoolito  smiled,  and  did  as  requested. 
The  old  Innuit  smiled  also,  and  then  proceeded  to  explain  how  it 
was,  saying  that  the  ship  was  built  out  of  material  carried  there 
by  kodlwms.  I  then  asked  him  if  there  was  any  thing  on  Kod- 
lunarn  now  that  the  kodlunas  who  built  the  ship  left  there.  The 
old  man  answered : 

"  Ar-rae-larng,  amasuadlo !"  (Yes,  a  great  many.)  "What  were 
they?"  "Little  red  pieces"  of  sonijething;  he  didn't  know  what 
they  were.  "Any  thing  else?"  "  Yes,  little  black  pieces,  a  great 
many ;"  he  didn't  know  what  they  were  for.  There  was  nothing 
like  them  in  the  Innuit  country ;  but  these  black  things  were  on 
Niountelik,  not  on  Kodlunarn.  I  then  asked  if  he  had  seen  any 
thing  else.  At  first  he  said  he  had  not,  but,  on  thinking  a  while. 
he  said  he  had  seen  "heavy  stone" — one  small  one  at  Tikkoon. 
one  large  one,  he  thought,  on  Oopungnewing,  The  last  he  sjcw 
four  years  before,  and  he  said  the  Innuits  used  to  try  their  strength 
in  lifting  it.     He  could  lift  it  as  high  as  liis  knees,  but  no  higher. 

I  asked  him  if  any  one  could  see  the  place  where  the  kodlunaif 
built  the  ship.  He  replied,  "  Yes ;"  and  then  proceeded  to  show 
what  kind  of  a  place  it  was.  A  snow-block  was  in  the  bottom  of 
the  igloo,  having  been  brought  in  for  making  snow-water.  I  told 
Tookoolito  to  have  him  take  a  snow-knife,  and  show  us  what  kind 
of  a  place  the  ship  was  built  in.  The  old  man  took  the  snow- 
knife  and  commenced  trimming  the  block,  and  then  proceeded  to 
chip  out  a  trench,  comparatively  wide,  and  deep  at  the  edge,  but 
shallow  and  narrow  at  its  termination.  He  then  swept  his  knife 
around  the  block  of  snow  to  represent  the  location  of  the  trench 
in  the  island.  I  asked  him  what  was  the  character  of  the  land 
where  they  dug  the  trench.  As  I  asked  this  question,  I  put  my 
finger  at  the  bottom  of  the  model  trench  before  us.  Ti.o  aiiswci- 
astonished  me,  it  being  the  very  reverse  of  what  I  expected,  for  1 
knew  the  bottom  of  the  excavation  on  Kodlunarn  to  be  of  stone. 
The  old  man's  answer  was  that  it  was  so/L  By  this  I  understood 
him  to  mean  that  it  was  like  sand  or  loam ;  but  to  a  repetition  of 
the  question,  he  answered, "  Soft — very  soft — same  as  icood  all  fall- 
ing  in  pieces;  the  tarrio — sea — came  up  into  the  trench  where  the 
wood  was." 

Here  was  a  deeply-interesting  fact  unexpectedly  disentombed. 


ANOTHER  SLEDGE  TRIP.  473 

I  had  previously  found  at  Kodlunarn  several  pieces  of  wood  at 
the  bottom  of  this  trotich,  the  larger  portion  of  it  being  of  the 
character  described  by  this  old  Innuit.  It  was  beneath  stone  that 
had  fallen  from  ^he  bank,  the  top  of  the  stick  being  dry,  while  the 
base  was  imbedded  firnily  in  rocks  and  sand.  The  old  Innuit 
said  that  a  good  deal  of  something  soft  (wood)  used  to  bo  in  the 
bottom  of  the  trench.  (Manuscript  records  of  Frobisher's  expedi- 
tion now  in  the  British  Museum,  but  seen  by  me  only  since  my 
return,  show  that  quantities  of  timber,  carried  out  for  the  purpose 
of  building  a  fort,  were  buried  at  the  bottom  of  one  of  his  mines.) 

Being  questioned  farther,  the  old  man  said  that  only  three  men 
built  the  ship;  the  others  stood  around  "all  same  as  captains." 
The  Innuits  did  not  help  make  the  ship,  but  they  helped  the  hud- 
Jnnas  get  the  ship  down  into  tarrio. 

On  December  loth,  the  thermometer  being  20°  below  zero,  the 
wind  light  from  the  northwest,  the  weather  a  little  cloudy,  I  took 
an  early  breakfast  of  whale-steaks  and  coffee,  and  at  o  45  A.M. 
was  on  my  sledge,  to  which  were  harnessed  eight  dogs,  the  place 
of  my  destination  being  Jones's  Cape.  1  had  with  me  my  Innuit 
dog-driver  "  Kooksmith"  and  young  Smith.  Shortly  after  start- 
ing, and  upon  getting  into  some  snow  saturated  with  sea-water,  a 
surprising  phenomenon  was  seen.  ^Vhen  the  dogs  put  their  feet 
into  the  snow  and  water,  it  was  like  stepping  into  a  flood  of  molt- 
en gold,  and  the  phosphorescent  light  thus  produced  was  not  con- 
fined to  the  sjoace  beneath  the  dogs  and  the  sledge,  but  spread  it- 
self around,  and  continued  for  several  seconds. 

In  an  hour  and  twenty  minutes  we.  crossed  the  bay,  and  reached 
the  land  on  the  other  side;  in  an  hour  more  we  were  at  the  crest 
of  Bayard  Taylor  Pass,  and  in  less  than  another  hour  had  safely 
accomplished  the  steep  descent,  and  -were  on  the  smooth  ice  of 
Lincoln  Ba}',  an  arm  of  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound.  Aft- 
er lunching  on  fro/Ani  black  skin,  we  pursued  our  journey-,  and  ar- 
rived at  Oopungnewing  at  1  P.M.  There  I  made  a  fruitless  search 
for  the  anvil.,  and  in  an  hour  resumed  our  trip.  At  S  10  P.M. 
we  reached  Jones's  Cape,  having  traveled  thirty-five  miles,  and 
were  soon  greeted  by  the  familiar  voices  of  many  InnuHs  we  knew. 
Among  them  were  Sampson  and  his  family,  and  I  was  speedily 
located  in  their  hospitable  abode. 

That  night  I  slept  closely  packed  among  seven  of  the  Innuits, 
the  little  girl  Ft(Jc-e-ne//-cr  being  on  one  side  of  me,  and  her  uncle 
on  the  other.     On  rising,  I  took  two  ounces  of  whale  skin  for  my 


474  AucTic  miSEAUcii  expedition. 

breakfast — I  would  gladly  have  eaten  two  pounds  could  I  have 
liud  it — and  soon  afterward  started  for  the  head  of  Peter  Force's 
Sound,  where  some  more  igloos  of  the  natives  were  situated. 
Arriving  there  at  noon,  I  directed  my  steps  to  the  igloo  of  Oo- 
!^oo-Jiar-loo,  whom  I  had  seen  the  night  before  at  Sampson's,  I 
was  met  and  kindly  welcomed  by  his  wife,  quickly  finding  my- 
self at  home,     I  now  quote  from  my  diary : 

''Mo7uIaij,  December  lQ(h,18Gl.  ^-  *  *  *  A fter  a  few  words 
of  greeting  and  gladness  from  her,  I  commenced  taking  off  my 
feet  gear,  for  the  object  of  holding  my  almost  frozen  feet  over  the 
lld'iuner.  I  had  just  removed  my  kumiwjs  as  in  came  a  very 
venerable  Innuit  woman,  whom  I  remembered  having  seen  sev- 
eral times  before,  but  whose  name  I  could  not  call  to  mind;  but 
I  passed  the  coini)limcnts  of  the  day  by  saying,  '■As-shu-c-tlil-leijr 
(Arc  you  well?)  To  which  she  replied,  ^ Ter-hoy-ou-hd  (very 
well).  I  was  seated  on  the  tuktoo  bed,  and  commenced  at  once  to 
move  on  one  side  to  make  room  for  the  old  lady.  But  she  signi- 
fied to  me  to  keep  my  seat,  at  the  same  time  picking  up  the  snow- 
shovel  {jnva-kin),  which  is  a  small  pine  board  with  handle,  plac- 
ing it  near  my  feet,  and  seating  herself  on  it.  The  old  lady,  see- 
ing me  engaged  in  extricating  my  feet  from  their  gear,  put  forth 
her  hands,  and  drew  off  my  double  set  of  native  socks  and  tuktoo 
stockings.  She  did  not  stop  here,  though  I  assured  her  that 
would  do.  I  had  on,  next  my  feet,  civilization  stockings,  and  in- 
tended keeping  them  on ;  but  Pe-ta-to — for  this  is  the  name  of 
the  w%arm-heaited  old  mother — grasped  first  one  foot  and  then 
the  other,  stripping  each  bare!  Quick  as  thought  she  lifted  up 
the  double  flajis  of  the  front  of  Jier  tuktoo  jacket,  and  as  quickly 
placed  my  Ik-kc  is-si-kars  (cold  feet)  flatly  upon  her  body,  and 


UKM'IME  nOBFlTALITY. 


TETATO'S  HOSPITALITY  AND  STORY.  475 

against  .1  breast  whereon  has  fed  as  robust  and  persevering  a  gen- 
eration ot'Innuits  as  ever  honored  this  Northern  land. 

"This  act  pf  Petato's,  represented  in  the  preceding  engraving, 
is  considered  by  the  natives  the  very  beau  ideal  of  genuine  hos- 
pitality. Knowing  this  to  be  the  custom  of  this  people,  and  be- 
lieving in  the  old  saw  that  '  when  you  are  in  lioinc  you  must 
do  as  tlie  Eomans  do,'  my  heart  leaped  with  gratitude  for  this 
kindly  deed  of  good  old  Petato.  My  feet  must  have  been  like 
lumps  of  ice,  and  yet  she  quailed  not  at  their  contact  with  her 
calorific  body. 

''  While  warming  my  feet  in  the  peculiar  mode  written  of,  I 
told  Smith  and  the  Innuit  Kooksrnith  that  I  wished  to  have  a 
conversation  with  Petato  relative  to  Kodluna'-n,  Oopungncwing, 
and  Niountelik,  and  of  white  people,  etc.,  etc. 

"  I  asked  Petato  if  she  knew  '  heavy  stone.'  Asked  if  she  ever 
'sat  down'  [that  is,  made  her  home]  on  Kodlunarn.  To  which 
.she  answered  '■Ar-me-larng'  (Yes).  Then  I  asked, '  Slioo  Innuitsjnl- 
t-iay  nu-na  Inmdt  ar-iing-a  nar-inc?'"''  (Why  did  not  the  Innuits 
give  to  that  island  an  Innuit  name?)  '■Shoo  Innuils  pH-c-ta/j  kod- 
lu-narn  ar-ling-a?^  (Why  did  Innuits  give  white  man's  name  to 
it?)     Old  Petato  proceeded  to  answer  these  two  questions  thus: 

'■''■Am-a-sii-il  oo-mi-ark-chu-a  ki-cte  wicli-ou!  ivich-ouf  %vich-ou! 
irich-ou/  Wonj-md:  ki-ek  sal-c-hoo  no-mi -ark -chu-a^  (A  long,  long, 
long,  long  time  ago,  a  great  many  ships  came  here.  A  northerly 
gale  prevailed,  and  broke — or  smashed  —  some  of  the  ships.) 
That  is,  then  it  was  that  the  island  was  given  the  name  'Kodlu- 
narn.' 

'■Following  thi.s,  I  asked  the  question,  ^Ka-chin-ninrj  oo-mi-arh 
rlut-a  sal-e-koo?''  (IIow  many  ships  were  destroyed?)  Petato  an- 
swered, '' ShcV'C-ming''  (She  did  not  know). 

"When  Petato  was  attempting  to  convoy  to  me  the  many 
years  ago  that  a  gn^at  many  shii)s  came  into  this  bay,  she  was 
truly  eloquent.  When  pronouncing  the  word  '  tci'c/i-ou,^  and  re- 
peating it,  which  she  did  the  several  times  indicated,  she  lifted 
her  hands  to  each  side  of  her  head,  raising  in  them  handfnls  of 
her  gray  locks.     At  the  same  instant  Kooksrnith,  standing  by  her 

*  It  should  1)0  sfiiil,  with  rcforcnce  to  the  Esquimaux  langunge  as  introduced  in 
tiie  text,  that,  though  it  could  be  easily  and  jjorfectly  coniprchcndcd  by  the  Innuits 
when  spoken,  and  though  it  can  be  understood  when  read  to  them  in  its  ])reseiit  form 
by  the  natives  with  me  in  this  country,  it  is  nevertheless  what  we  may  call  "broken," 
lioing  such  as  a  person  would  naturally  use  whose  acquaintance  with  the  language 
is  inqx'rfoct,  ns  mine  necessarily  was. 


470  ARCTIC  RESKAKCIl  FAPEDITION. 

side,  Laving  caught  tlio  spirit  of  her  inspiring  thoiiglit  and  elo- 
quence, seized  another  handful  of  her  venerable  hairs,  lifting  them 
up  too.  Then,  with  increasing  emphasis,  Petato  proceeded,  pro- 
nouncing xcich-ou  at  first  with  strong  voice,  then  with  louder  and 
louder  voice,  till  the  final  pronunciation  of  the  word,  when  hor 
whole  soul  seemed  on  fire,  her  face  glorified  by  tho  spirit  of  hor 
earnestness,  and,  as  if  attempting  to  measure  infinity,  she  looked 
wildly  to  tho  right,  to  the  left,  then  turned  her  head  behind,  while 
her  voice  burst  ibrth  as  a  thunderbolt,  leaving  the  word  ividi-ou 
ringing  in  my  ears  still. 

"The  word  ^wich-ou,^  in  Innuit,  has  two  significations.  For  in- 
stance: Suppose  I  say  to  an  Innuit,  '■Ki-cte  icong-cC  (Come  here  to 
me).  If  he  should  not  be  prepared  just  at  the  moment,  he  would 
say  'ir/c7i-o«'  (Wait  a  while,  or  I'll  come  in  a  short  time).  In 
the  other  signification  it  refers  to  time  past.  For  instance:  Sup- 
pose I  should  ask  an  Innuit  when  his  people  were  \cry  numer- 
ous here  North,  he  might  answer  '■Wich-oiC  (that  is,  a  long  time 
ago).     In  this  hitter  sense  Petato  uses  this  word. 

"Petato  ])rocceded :  '■Kod-lu-nas  ki-dc  iti-c-Me  nu-na  make  it 
am-a-su-iC  (White  people  came  and  landed  on  the  island,  and  put 
things  on  it  in  large  quantities).  The  old  lady  has  been  much 
around  the  ships,  and  occasionally  uses  an  English  word  when 
conversing  with  those  who  talk  that  language.  It  will  be  seen 
that  she  used  to  good  clfcct  the  two  words  '■make  it^''  in  her  last 
sentence. 

"She  continued:  '■Wich-ou  kod-lu-nas  in-c-tde  make  it  Kod-Ju- 
narn^  (After  a  while  white  men  sat  down — made  a  house  or 
houses  on  Kodlunarn).  She  described  this  house  by  placing  one 
stone  upon  another,  indicating  by  some  snow  placed  between  that 
some  substance  of  white  color  was  between  the  layers  of  stone. 

"  Petato  was  then  asked  the  (picstion,  yKls-su  kod-la-nas  in-c-UU 
man-er?'  (What  is  now  on  the  island  that  kodlunas  left  there?) 
She  answered  that  a  great  many  little  pieces,  red  {oiij*),  were  on 
the  island,  such  as  Innuits  use  to  clean  and  brighten  their  loi-- 
oonrjs  (brass  ornaments  for  the  head). 

"  When  Petato  was  asked  '  who  told  her  all  about  kodlunas 
coming  here,  and  the  many  ships  that  come  in  this  bay,'  she  an- 
swered, '  My  motlier's  grandmother's  grandfather  knew  a  gooil 
deal  about  it.'     The  inference  is  that  Potato's  mother  told  her 

*  Oiif]  voally  means  lilnml,  but  tho  Innuits  nsc  tliis  word  to  signify  any  thing  reil 
when  talkin;^  with  n  stranger  not  well  versed  in  their  Inngunge. 


A  GUEAT  FEAST.  477 

about  it,  the  granatnother  of  Potato's  motlicr  tokl  her,  ami  the 
gramlf'atlior  of  Totatu's  mother's  graudinother  told  said  grand- 
motlicr  of  it. 

"Thus  l*otato's  knowkHlgo  is  direct  from  the  sixth  generation 
of  her  family;  or,  rather,  the  iiiibnnation  I'gaiued  was  iVom  tlio 
sixth  generation  direct  fi'om  the  day  of  the  aforc-mentionetl  grand- 
father. 

"I  now  continue  the  information  conveyed  by  old  Potato  liv- 
ing the  points  as  they  coinc  to  mind. 

"  Kodlunas  built  a  ship  on  Kodlunarn.  She  described,  bv  pe- 
culiar scooping  movements  of  her  hands,  the  ])hice  they  dug  out 
in  the  island  in  whicli  they  made  the  vessel.  She  said  there °werc 
two  pUiecs  dug  out  in  tlic  rocks— one  a  little  distance  from  where 
they  built  tlie  ship,  made  to  catch  and  li(;ld  water  (fresh  watei') 
for  the  kodluiia.s.  Iiuiuits  all  around  were  kind  to  the  white 
peo])le;  brought  them  seals,  tuktoo,  etc.,  etc. 

"They  were  on  Kodlunarn  through  one  winter—that  is,  while 
Wxcrc,  wintered  there  but  once.  When  ice  broke  up,  went  awav 
in  the  ship.  After  a  while  come  back  again.  Seko  (ice)  brought 
them  back.  Could  not  got  out.  Very  cold—givat  storm.  In- 
nuits  built  them  igloos  on  Kodlunarn,  but  they  all  died, 

"Potato  was  about  to  tell  how  many  kodlunas  built  tlic  .ship 
and  tried  to  go  away.  She  first  raised  one  hand,  opened  the  fin- 
gers and  thumb,  showing yar;  thinking  a  moment,  and  looking 
at  .said  fingers  and  thumb,  slu^  fin;illy  threw  up  the  otlier  hantf^ 
lingers  and  thumb  .'spread  out;  then  she  said  she  did  not  recol- 
lect whether  they  wci'o  mik-u-oohoo-loo  or  am-ei-su-ad-lu  (few  or 
many)." 

After  concluding  this  interview  with  Potato  wo  returned  to 
Jones's^  Cape,  arriving  there  at  5  V.M.  An  hour  after  my  en- 
trance info  his  igloo,  Sami)son  returned  from  his  trip  to  a  cache 
of  tuktoo,  bringing  the  saddles  and  carcasses  of  two  deer.  As 
soon  as  ho  ari-ived  these  were  thrown  into  the  igloo;  the  network 
over  the  Ikhnmer,  placed  there  to  receive  articles  of  clothing 
which  need  drying,  was  cleared  ofl",  and  the  frozen  massjs  of  tulc^ 
too  were  placed  carefully  upon  it,  in  order  that  the  outside  might 
lose  some  of  its  hnrninrf  quality;  for  lot  it  be  borne  in  mind  that 
any  thing  exposed  to  the  cohl  of  the  North,  if  touched  with  the 
))are  fingers,  gives  a  sensation  as  if  hot  iron  were  handled.  Alean- 
wliile  invitations  were  given  to  the  village  lunuits  for  the  tuktoo 
least  about  to  come  olf  at  ISampson"'.s  igloo,  and  soon  the  guests 


478  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITIOX. 

rushed  in.  The  position  of  the  ladies  was,  of  course,  upon  the 
bed  platform,  and  I  drew  off  my  boots  and  took  a  place  among 
the  "fair  of  creation;"  all  others  of  my  sex  had  to  take  standing 
seats  wherever  they  could  find  them  down  on  the  snow  floor. 
Fully  thirty  souls  were  crammed  into  our  igloo.  I  was  sand- 
wiched between  the  wife  of  Koo-kin  and  the  wife  of  New-wat- 
cbe,  the  latter  being  the  sister  to  Sampson's  wife. 

Sampson  was  the  master  of  ceremonies ;  he  first  made  the  la- 
dies on  the  bed  give  way  so  as  to  clear  a  space  whereon  he  might 
do  the  j3arving;  then  he  placed  on  this  spot  the  table-cloth,  a 
huge  sealskin,  and  upon  that  put  the  carcass  of  a  large  deer ;  he 
then  took  a  boat  hatchet  and  began  to  carve  the  deer.  Slabs  of 
its  side  were  chopped  and  peeled  off;  chips  of  ice  flew  here  and 
there  into  the  very  faces  of  the  guests  at  each  stroke  of  the  axe. 
As  fast  as  Sampson  rolled  off  the  venison  other  men  took  the 
pieces,  and  by  means  of  a  saw  and  seal-knives  reduced  them  to  a 
size  adapted  for  handling;  then  Sampson  distributed  these  bits, 
one  to  each,  till  every  mill  had  grist  to  grind.  ^  Thus  for  half  an 
hour  Sampson  carved ;  then  his  hatchet  handle  broke  of!  close  np 
to  the  head.  Another  axe  was  sent  for,  and  meanwhile,  with  the 
half  of  a  saw,  the  two  saddles  were  divided  into  the  proper  num- 
ber of  pieces,  ready  for  distribution ;  the  carcass  was  then  once 
more  attacked,  and  the  shell  was  broken,  split,  and  sawed  into 
pieces.  In  it  was  the  "  kernel,"  to  which  all  looked  with  anxious 
eyes;  this  was  at  last  divided  into  as  many  pieces  as  there  were 
pieces  of  saddle,  and  then  one  of  each  was  given  to  cvefy  gue.«t. 
I  received  my  share  with  gratitude,  and  with  a  piece  in  each 
hand  began  eating.  I  bit  off  a  mouthful  of  the  saddle-piece  ;  it 
was  good.  I  took  a  morsel  of  the  other;  it  was  ddujltlfnl ;  its 
flavor  was  a  kind  of  sorrel  acid  ;  it  had  an  ambrosial  taste  1  it  fair- 
ly melted  in  my  mouth!  When  nearly  through,!  had  the  curi- 
osity to  crowd  my  way  to  a  light  to  see  what  this  delicious  frozen 
food  was,  for  where  I  sat  I  was  shaded  by  large  forms  between  mo 
and  the  fire-light.  I  looked  at  it,  rolled  it  over,  and  looked  again. 
Behold,  it  was  the  contents  of  a  reindeer's  paunch  !  On  this  dis- 
covery I  stopped  feasting  for  that  night. 

While  the  guests  were  arriving  I  was  busily  writing  in  mv 
note-book ;  several  Innuits  crowded  round  me,  interested  in  this 
curious  W'Ork.  I  w'rote  two  or  three  of  their  names,  pointing  to 
the  writing  and  pronouncing  the  word,  as  Kop-c-o,  Ning-u-ar- 
ping,  Koo-choo-ar-chu ;  this  pleased  them  milch.     The  call  wa.'^ 


MASTING  SHIP.  479 

then  raised  for  me  to  write  my  own  name,  which  I  dicl,  also  j^vo- 
nouncing  it.  Then  "Hall!  llall!  Hall!"  rung  from  tongue  to 
tongue  through  the  igloo  amid  general  laughter. 

After  securing  what  skins  I  wanted,  I  started  on  my  return  to 
the  ship  on  December  18th  with  the  sledge  and  dogs.  A  few 
minutes  after  passing  Kodlunarn  we  rounded  the  point  of  Tik- 
koon,  the  place  I  had  visited  on  the  23d  of  September.  Ilaving 
passed  by  this  spot  and  made  a  short  distance,  less  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile,  "  Kooksmith"  pointed  to  a  bluff  on  the  main  land, 
saying  "  Ki-cte,  oo-mi-ark-chu-a  Kodlunarn" — that  is,  the  ship 
came  from  Kodlunarn  to  the  said  place.  He  then  proceeded  to 
say  (though  I  did  not  fairly  understand  his  meaning  at  the  time), 
that  after  the  ship  was  built  and  launched  the  kodlunas  towed 
her  round  to  this  spot  in  order  to  have  a  good  place  for  raising  the 
masts  and  putting  them  in  the  vessel.  Kooksmith  represented 
by  the  handle  of  his  whip  how  they  raised  one  end  of  the  mast 
up  on  the  bluff  by  the  coast.  At  the  time,  as  said  above,  I  did 
not  fully  comprehend  what  he  wanted  to  say,  but  supposed  him 
to  mean  that  a  mast  was  made  there,  and  then  taken  roimd  to 
Kodlunarn ;  later,  as  will  be  seen  shortly,  the  whole  force  of  bis 
description  came  out. 

The  most  tiresome  portion  of  our  day's  work  was  the  ascent  of 
the  Bayard  Taylor  Pass.  Our  load  was  not  heavy,  but  it  re- 
quired the  combined  exertions  of  all  to  push  and  pull  the  sledge 
up  the  abrupt  mountain's  side.  We  were  all  tired,  the  dogs 
quite  so,  for  they  had  had  nothing  to  cat  since  leaving  the  vessel. 
The  little  "camels"  of  the  North — the  Innuit  dogs — are  of  inesti- 
mable value  in  tliat  country ;  when  well  fed  up  before  starting 
on  a  journey,  they  will  do  hard  work  for  many  days  in  succession 
witliout  any  food. 

When  we  reached  the  summit  and  began  our  descent,  we  found 
still  hard  and  also  dangerous  w(irk  going  down  with  a  loaded 
sledge  and  a  team  of  dogs.  While  Smith  hung  to  the  rope  made 
fast  to  the  hind  part  of  the  sledge,  and  Kooksmith  kept  just  ahead 
of  the  dogs,  whipping  them  back,  I  had  hold  of  the  fore  part  of 
the  sledge,  to  guide  it  and  help  keep  it  back.  Notwithstanding 
all  our  precautions,  the  sledge  occasionally  bounded  away  over 
snow-drifts,  down  steep  pitehcs,  now  and  then  plunging  dogs  and 
men  into  one  general  heap.  We  had  an  exciting  ride  indeed  go- 
ing down  on  the  Field  Bay  side,  the  dogs  springing  with  all  their 
might  to  keep  ahead  of  the  flying  sledge.  Wc  reached  the  ship 
at  7  20  P.M. 


480  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

The  next  morning,  December  19tli,  wliilo  writing  in  the  after- 
caljin,  Kooksmith  came  in,  and  I  made  farther  inquiries  relative 
to  the  place  at  Tikkoon  before  written  of  in  connection  with  the 
ship's  mast.  He  took  from  the  table  on  which  I  was  writing  a 
small  memorandum-book,  held  it  just  beneath  the  edge  of  the  ta- 
ble to  represent  the  ship,  then  took  a  pencil,  one  end  of  which 
rested  on  the  book  and  the  other  on  the  table,  slightly  inclined. 
The  edge  of  the  table  represented  the  bluff  at  Tikkoon.  Thou 
Kooksmith  raised  up  the  pencil,  which  indicated  the  mast,  ami 
thus  all  was  simi)ly  and  effectively  explained;  the  vessel,  when 
launched,  was  taken  to  the  bluif  of  Tikkoon  that  the  masts  could 
there  be  raised  and  set. 

Soon  after  Kooksmith  had  gone  I  called  Twcroong  into  the  cab- 
in, and  asked  her,  in  Innuit,  if  she  knew  the  stoiy  of  the  white 
pcoi)le  taking  the  ship  to  Tikkoon  from  Kodlunarn.  Twerooiig 
com[)rehended  my  question  at  once.  She  immediately  took  my 
pen  and  a  tobacco-pipe,  then  bade  me  hold  a  book  down  by  the 
table's  edge,  and  placed  on  the  book  and  table,  at  one  end  of  the 
former,  the  pen,  and  at  the  other  the  i)ipe,  both  inclining  against 
the  table's  edgx\just  as  in  the  illustration  shown  by  Kooksmith. 
She  next  raised  one  of  the  mimic  masts  to  a  perpendicular  posi- 
tion, [  still  holding  the  book,  and  then  the  other.  Taking  up  a 
pencil,  I  also  raised  that,  and  asked  her  if  there  were  not  /A/c 
masts.  To  my  question  she  answered  declsicdij  ^^Arf/i" — No; 
adding,  '■'■Mnlc-ko!  muk-lv  P''  meaning  7'iro. 

I  then  recalled  to  miud  a  remark  made  to  me  by  Koojesse  the 
previous  winter,  when  we  were  passing  Oopungnewing  at  a  dis- 
tance fronr  that  bluff":  "  There,"  said  he,  "  the  place  where  kodhi- 
nas  make  or  put  in  masts."  1  thought  the  remark  })rcposterous 
at  the  time,  and  gave  but  little  attention  to  it. 

Another  curious  point  in  comiection  with  the  matter  of  the 
.ship's  masts  was  this:  When  conversing  with  some  of  the  na- 
tives after  the  discoveries  above  narrated,  I  learned  that  the  name 
^''Kc-pou-e-tie  sup-hiiKf  had  been  given  to  the  blulf  spoken  of  On 
making  closer  inquiries,  I  found  that  this  was  a  ])hra.se  coined  for 
the  puri)ose  of  ex[)ressing  a  certain  idea,  as  was  the  case  with  the 
word  Kodlunarn.     Its  translation  i.s,  "  To  set  up  masts." 

The  significance  of  these  discoveries  with  reference  to  Fro- 
bisher's  expedition,  and  the  bearing  they  had,  to  my  mind,  on 
more  recent  matters,  will  be  seen  by  the  following  extract  fioni 
my  diary  at  the  close  of  December  I'Jlli: 


TRUTHFULNESS  OF  INNUIT  HISTORY. 


481 


"IIow  long  it  does  take  to  gather  in  all  of  tlic  links  of  this 
chain  three  hundred  years  old!  I  am  convinced  that  were  I  on 
King  William's  Land  and  Boothia,  and  could  I  live  there  two 
years,  I  could  gather  facts  relative  to  Sir  John  Franklin's  expedi- 
tion— gather  facts  from  the  Innuits — that  would  astonish  the  civ- 
ilized world.  IIow  easy  to  go  back  a  score  of  years  or  so,  and 
get  truthful  history  from  among  the  Innuits,  compared  with  what 
it  is  to  plunge  into  the  history  of  near  three  centuries,  and  draw 
out  tlie  truth !  ^fay  I  live  to  sec  the  day  when  I  can  visit  King 
William's  Land  and  Boothia,  and  secure  the  full  history,  as  it  mvM 
exist  among  the  Innuits  there,  of  that  expedition  !'' 


CIVILIZATION  sLEiioE.     (Sec  Apiwudix,  No.  11.) 

Uh 


482  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXl'EDITION. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Movement ,  of  the  Ship's  Company. — Scarcity  of  Provisions. — A  Man's  Feet  frozx'ii 
stiff. — Amimtation  necessary. — Dreadful  Story  of  a  Woman  deserted. — Aitcmiit 
to  Kescue  lier. — Tlie  Attempt  a  Failure. — Ajwrilous  Sitnation. — A  second  Eli'ort. 
— Tlio  Woman  found  dead. — Ebicrbing  at  a  Seal-hole. — Innuit  Perseverance. — 
The  Author's  Plans. 

Eakly  in  January  of  1862  the  men  of  the  ship's  company  di- 
vided themselves  among  the  Innuits,  trying  the  native  life,  such 
a  course  being  necessary  by  reason  of  tlic  shortness  of  our  provi- 
sions on  board.  They  were  not  steadily  absent,  however,  but  now 
and  then  returned  to  the  ship,  finding  the  privations  of  Innuit 
life  harder  to  be  borne  than  the  scarcity  on  board  the  vessel.  On 
the  2d  of  January  Eobcrt  Smith  went  with  Annawa  to  Lincoln's 
Bay,  and,  at  the  same  time,  Mate  Lamb  and  one  of  the  seamen 
started  for  the  reindeer  jilains  at  the  head  of  Field  Bay,  A  few- 
days  before,  a  party  of  the  men  liad  gone  to  the  Counte.ss  of  War- 
wick's Sound.  On  the  day  just  mentioned  they  all  returned,  with 
bed.s,  bags,  and  baggage.  They  brought  sad  tales  of  want  and 
suffering,  owing  to  the  short  supply  of  provisions  among  their  In- 
nuit friends. 

Ebicrbing,  on  hearing  of  their  return  and  the  cause,  said,  laugh- 
ingly, "  They  be  all  same  as  small  boys."  The  Innuits  are  cer- 
tainly a  very  ^ifterent  people  from  white  men.  They  submit  to 
deprivation  of  food  quite  philosophically  ;  to  all  a])))earanec,  it  i.s 
the  same  to  them  whether  they  are  abundantly  suj)plied  or  on  the 
brink  of  starvation.  No  murmur  escapes  their  lips;  they  pre- 
serve their  calmness,  and  persevere  till  success  rewards  their  ex- 
ertions. 

On  January  4th  Stcrry  and  "  Flukcr"  (William  Ellard)  left  the 
ship  for  Jones's  Cape,  and  on  the  10th  Eobert  Smith  came  back, 
having  been  unable  to  sustain  the  privation  he  was  forced  to  en- 
dure  any  longer.     On  the  12th   an  Innuit  boy,  called  "Bone 

Squash,"  arrived  from  the  plains,  bringing  to  Captain  B the 

following  letter : 


FliOSTBITTEN  FEET.  483 

"  Captain — Sir  :  '  Shorty'  (Ooksiii)  got  one  small  deer  to-day, 
and  I  send  this  to  you  for  yourself,  and  hope  that  soon  we  may 
have  the  luck  to  send  you  more.  They  see  quite  a  number  of 
deer  every  day,  but  half  the  time  their  guns  will  not  go.  I  hope 
that  you  are  well,  for  I  know  that  your  mind  is  troubled,  as  I 
have  heard  that  all  of  the  men  have  come  back  to  the  ship.  I 
saw  three  deer  yesterday  on  the  ice.  We  are  quite  hard  up  here 
now,  for  all  the  '  black  skin'  is  gone,  and  I  have  only  about  ten 
pounds  of  whale-meat  left;  but  I  shall  not  come  to  the  ship,  for 
I  might  as  well  ule  here  as  there,  for  all  I  know.       B.  Lamb." 

The  above  note  presents  in  a  truthful  light  the  experiences  of 
some  of  the  ship's  compan3^ 

On  the  niglit  of  the  12th  of  January,  at  ten  o'clock,  the  ther- 
mometer down  to  72°  below  the  freezing  point,  Flukcr  was  brought 
to  the  ship  by  the  Innuit  Sharkey  with  a  sledge  drawn  by  dogs. 
Fluker  soon  reported  that  he  had  ii'ozeu  his  great  toe  while  going 
up  to  Jones's  Cape,  and  that  he  thouglit  it  best  to  come  back  and 
have  the  black  thing  attended  to.  lie  went  forward  with  such  a 
light  and  springing  step  that  it  seemed  impossible  that  his  toe 
could  have  been  badly  frozen.  Soon  after,  he  came  down  into 
the  after-cabin,  and  sat  by  the  stove  warming  himself,  and  eating 
heartily.  AVhile  taking  his  supper,  he  told  us  of  the  experiences 
of  Sterry  and  himself  They  left  the  ship,  as  was  above  stated, 
on  January  -Ith,  and  were  five  days  in  getting  to  Jones's  Cape. 
There  they  found  abundant  food,  but  he  discovered  that  his  toe 
was  black,  and  he  thought  it  best  to  return. 

Captain  B caused  a  poultice  to  be  prepared,  and  then  di- 
rected Flukcr  to  pull  off  his  boot;  the  poor  fellow  made  several 
ineflcctual  efforts  to  do  so,  when  the  captain  said,  "Hold  on,  Flu- 
ker; let  me  i)ull  for  you."  With  considerable  difficulty  the  boot 
and  double  stockings  were  taken  off,  when  Captain  B sud- 
denly exclaimed/^ Finkc)',  your  foot  is  frozen  rtoio  as  hard  as  ice  P'' 
In  a  moment  the  other  foot  was  stripped  of  its  gear,  and  tliat  also 
icas  found  to  he  frozen  stiff'.  "  Away,  away  with  him  from  this  fire! 
What  are  we  thinking  about!  Ice-water  and  salt!  I  fear  this 
man's  feet  arc  gone!"  Such  were  the  hurried  exclamations  of 
the  captain,  and  all  hands  were  at  once  engaged  in  endeavors  to 
thaw  and  preserve  the  feet  of  the  unfortunate  Fluker.  The  se- 
quel may  be  given  in  a  word :  on  the  17th  Captain  B was 

obliged  to  amputate  all  the  poor  man's  toes,  performing  the  op- 


484  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

eration  skillfijlly  with  instruments  improvised  for  the  emergency ; 
some  days  after  it  became  necessary  to  take  off  another  portion 
of  his  feet,  and  from  that  date  the  patient  slowly  recovered,  being 
able  after  a  time  to  resume  his  duties. 

On  January  21st  two  of  the  ship's  company  arrived  at  the  ves- 
sel from  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  nearly  dead  from  hunger,  Tbcy 
had  been  without  food,  except  a  mere  morsel,  for  sevcraldays. 
They  had  left  the  ship  four  weeks  before,  and  they  said  that  they 
had  not  eaten  on  an  average  more  than  three  ounces  a  day,  so 
little  game  had  been  secured  in  that  locality  by  the  natives. 
Some  days  they  had  to  eat  sealskins,  walrus  hide,  reindeer  sinew, 
blasted  whale-meat,  and  scraps  remaining  after  trying  out  the 
ooksooJc.  One  of  them,  after  two  days'  fasting,  received  from  the 
hands  of  an  Innuit  a  piece  of  reindeer  sinew,  weighing  perhaps 
an  ounce,  for  his  supper;  but,  after  chewing  it  a  while,  he  gave 
up  the  attempt  to  eat  it. 

On  tlie  20th  of  February  Robert  Smith  and  five  of  the  forward 
bauds  returned  to  the  ship  from  Oopungnewing,  where  thoy  ha-l 
been  living.  Shcvikoo,  with  his  dogs  and  sledgo,  brought  their 
bags  of  bedding.  They  said  that  the  provisions  at  Oopungne- 
wing were  all  out,  and  that  thoy  had  had  nothing  to  cat  for  several 
days.  They  reported  also  a  sad  occurrence.  When  the  Innuits 
removed  from  the  "Plains"  to  Oopungnewing  they  abandoned 
one  of  their  number,  the  wife  of  "Jim  Crow,"  leaving  her,  with 
but  a  trifle  of  provisions,  to  die.  The  reasons  given  for  this  act 
were  that  she  was  sick  and  unable  to  help  herself  As  soon  as  I 
was  informed  of  this,  I  at  once  proposed  to  raise  a  party  and  go 
the  next  morning  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  the  deserted  woman, 
and,  if  she  were  still  living,  to  bring  her  on  a  sledge  to  the  ship. 

In  accordance  with  this  purpose,  I  set  out  on  the  next  day, 
February  21st,  accompanied  by  Mate  Lamb  and  four  of  the  shijKs 
crew,  who  volunteered  for  the  work.  We  had  a  small  sledge  and 
four  dogs,  and  took  with  us  a  variety  of  articles  for  the  comfort 
of  the  suffering  woman,  if  she  should  be  alive  when  we  reached 
her.  It  was  ten  o'clock  before  we  started,  new  harness  having  to 
be  made  for  the  dogs,  and  the  sledge  to  be  dug  out  of  a  heavy 
snow-drift.  The  prospect  of  a  successful  issue  of  the  trip  was 
doubtful  at  starting.  As  I  anticipated,  we  found  the  traveling 
very  laborious.  We  walked  in  Indian  file;  I  led  the  way  occa- 
sionally, as  did  the  others  in  turn.  The  walking  through  the 
snow  was  terrible  work,  and  the  one  who  led  the  way  had  to 


THE  RESCUE  PARTY.  485 

make  footsteps  for  the  o;''iers.  No  one  except  Lamb  and  myself 
could  hold  out  longer  than  five  minutes  at  a  time  in  making  these 
tracks.  The  snow  was  deep,  and  much  of  the  way  was  just  hard 
enough  to  almost  bear  our  weight,  but  at  each  step  down  we  would 
go,  knee  deep,  thigh  deep.  It  id  impossible  to  convey  to  any  one 
a  correct  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  traveling  we  experienced  on 
this  journey.  First  one  and  then  another  of  my  companions 
gave  up  and  returned,  leaving  only  Lamb  and  myself  to  proceed. 
The  wind  had  freshened  to  a  gale,  sweeping  the  snow  directly 
into  our  fliees,  and  cutting  us  like  powdered  glass.  The  cold  was 
intense.  What  could  we  do  ?  Persevere?  Yes,  while  I  had  any 
hope  at  all  of  effecting  the  object  for  which  we  had  set  out. 

Lamb  tried  hard  to  persevere ;  but,  finally,  he  too  had  to  aban- 
don the  task  as  hopeless.  The  dogs  were  unable  to  get  on,  more- 
over, and  I  was  at  last  reluctantly  obliged  to  turn  my  face  again 
toward  the  ship,  having  decided  that  it  was  my  duty  to  return  to 
save  the  living  rather  than  to  strive  to  reach  one  who  might  be 
already  dead.  Never  had  I  experienced  harder  work  than  in 
traveling  back.  The  condition  of  Lamb  was  such  that  I  feared 
for  his  life  if  we  did  not  soon  get  on  board.  Every  few  steps  the 
snow  had  to  be  broken  down  to  make  a  passage.  It  was  of  God's 
mercy  that  I  had  strength  enough  to  hold  up,  else  both  of  us 
must  have  perished.  Occasionally  I  threw  myself  down  on  the 
ice  or  snow,  thoroughly  exhausted ;  then  I  would  start  up,  arouse 
Lamb,  who  seemed  to  be  verging  toward  that  sleep  which  in  cold 
regions  becomes  the  sleep  of  death,  and  once  more  battle  onward. 

During  this  hard  passage  back  to  the  vessel  my  noble  dog  Bar- 
bckark  was  like  a  cheering  friend ;  as  now  and  then  I  lay  almost 
exhausted  upon  the  snow  for  a  moment's  rest,  he  danced  around 
me,  kissing  my  face,  placing  himself  by  my  side,  where  I  could 
pillow  my  head  upon  his  warm  body.  No  one  who  knew  his 
characteristics  could  fail  to  perceive  that  he  realized  the  critical 
situation  of  Lamb  and 'myself  He  would  bound  toward  me, 
raise  himself  on  his  hinder  legs,  place  his  paws  upon  my  breast, 
and  glance  from  me  toward  the  vessel,  from  the  vessel  to  Lamb, 
then  leap  away,  leading  the  sledge-team  on  a  dista,nce  ahead,  there 
to  wait  till  we  again  came  near,  the  few  dogs  and  the  soft  state 
of  the  snow  preventing  us  from  riding. 

I  was  indeed  a  happy  man  as  I  walked  into  the  gangway  of 
the  Oeon/e  Ilenry^  and  learned  that  all  my  company  were  safely 
back  to  its  shelter. 


486  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

On  February  25th  I  made  another  attempt  to  see  what  had 
become  of  the  <voman  who  had  been  abandoned,  and  I  now  take 
from  my  diary  the  history  of  that  excursion  : 

'^Fiijht  o'clock,  nl(jlU.  Back  again!  the  attempt  to  reach  the 
plains  successful ;  the  teaman  found  toithin  a  tomb  ofsnoiu,  her  sjn'r- 
it  gone  to  God. 

"I  will  now  attempt  to  give  the  incidents  of  this  day. 

"  This  morning  Ebierbing  and  I  wore  up  early.  While  my 
Innuit  friend  (who  was  to  be  my  companion  and  auxiliary  in  my 
renewed  attempt  to  rescue  the  one  at  the  plains)  was  engaged  in 
icing*  the  sledge  and  harnessing  the  dogs,  I  was  busy  bagging 
blankets,  pemmican,  oil,  etc. — the  same  articles  I  provided  myself 
with  on  Friday  last,  with  the  object  of  making  the  woman  com- 
fortable before  starting  to  bring  her  back.  On  getting  the  dogs 
together,  Ebierbing  found  two  missing.  As  it  was  essential  to 
iiave  a  full  team,  wc  spared  no  exertions  to  find  them.  After 
searching  all  around  the  ship  and  the  boats  which  are  out  on  the 
ice,  and  not  finding  them,  Ebierbing  indicated  that  they  might  be 
over  on  the  island  at  the  deserted  snow-houses  of  the  Innuits. 
The  two  harnesses  in  hand,  I  offered  to  go  and  make  a  trial  in 
getting  them.  I  directed  my  stops  to  that  part  of  the  island 
where  the  abandoned  igloos  of  Ebierbing  and  Koodloo  are. 

"Arriving  there  after  severe  struggling  through  the  deep  snow, 
I  found  dog-tracks  leading  to  the  openings  into  the  two  igloos, 
the  said  openings  being  through  the  dome,  where  the  seal-entrail 
windows  had  been.  Looking  down  through  these  openings,  and 
searching  around,  I  could  see  nothing  of  the  dogs.  I  then  made 
my  way  laboriously  along,  over  to  the  village  proper,  on  the  far- 
ther side  of  Fresh-water  Pond,  and  was  unsuccessful  here  also. 
As  I  was  making  my  return,  I  determined  to  visit  again  the  ig- 
loos where  I  had  first  searched  for  the  dogs,  and  on  turning  to 
them  I  saw  one  of  the  animals  in  the  distance.  On  calling  to  him 
the  other  soon  made  its  appearance ;  bitt,  as  I  was  a  stranger  to 
them,  I  had  a  difficulty  in  capturing  them.  They  broke  past  mc 
and  ran  into  the  broken-down  passage-way  leading  into  Ebier- 
bing's  deserted  igloo.  The  drift,  as  well  as  the  falling  in  of  the 
dome,  had  so  completely  shut  up  this  passage  that  I  was  a  long 
time  in  enlarging  the  fox-hole  sufiiciently  to  admit  my  contracted 
size.  By  perseverance  I  kicked  a  way  before  me,  being  pros- 
trate, and  pushing  along  feet  foremost;  but  on  getting  the  length 

*  Sec  Chai.ter  XXXVII. 


SECOND  RESCUE  ATTEMPT.  487 

of  the  passage  leading  to  the  main  igloo,  and  making  a  turn  so 
that  I  could  look  ahead,  my  dilemma  was  far  from  enviable,  for 
there  the  dogs  were,  beyond  a  possibility  of  my  reaching  them, 
the  dome  of  the  igloo  having  stooped,  as  it  were,  to  kiss  its  foun- 
dation. By  using  dog-persua.sive  talk,  I  at  length  induced  one  of 
them  to  come  out  of  the  wolf-like  den  and  approach  me.  Here 
it  played  "  catch-me-if-you-can,"  coming  just  without  my  roach, 
and  dodging  back  into  its  lair.  After  fifteen  minutes'  coaxing  the 
dog  was  tempted  to  hold  out  its  paw,  but  as  often  as  I  attempted 
to  meet  it  with  mine  i^  was  tormentingly  withdrawn.  The  paw 
was  finally  fast  within  my  hold,  and  cpiickly  I  had  the  dog  in  har- 
ness, dragging  liim  after  me,  and  of  course  his  companion  follow- 
t>d  after.  When  back  to  the  vessel  I  was  covered  with  perspira- 
tion, though  the  thermometer  was  62°  below  the  freezing  point. 

"At  fifteen  minutes  past  10  A.M.  Ebierbing  and  I  started,  with 
little  expectation  of  being  back  to-night.  We  took  along  the 
pair  of  snow-shoes  of  Ebierbiiig's  (of  Esquimaux  style  and  make), 
to  be  us{>d  alternately  by  each  of  us  if  the  occasion  rccpiired  it, 
and  added  to  our  traps  a  snow-knife,  with  which  to  make  us  a 
snow-house  on  the  way,  if  we  needed  it. 

"  The  team  of  dogs  was  an  excellent  one,  tractable,  strong,  and 
of  great  speed  wherever  and  whenever  the  traveling  would  ad- 
mit of  it.  The  number  was  not  what  we  could  wish,  being  only 
seven,  but  it  was  as  great  as  we  could  have.  Had  my  four  '  Green- 
landers'  been  here,  their  helj)  would  have  been  ample  for  almost 
any  emergency. 

"  The  leader  of  Ebicrbing's  team  proved  to  be  of  no  ordinary 
quality.  Though,  for  much  of  the  way  to  the  point  where  I  was 
obliged  to  turn  back  on  Fridav  last  in  order  to  save  mv  remain- 
ing  companion  (Lamb),  the  tracks  we  had  made  were  obliterated, 
yet  this  leader,  with  admirable  instinct,  kept  us  in  the  desired 
course.  We  had  not  proceeded  far  from  the  vessel  before  I  found, 
to  my  joy,  that  the  traveling  had  greatly  improved  since  Friday. 
The  snow,  in  many  places,  had  become  firmly  packed — much  of 
the  way  sufliciently  firm  to  hold  up  the  dogs  and  the  broad  shoe 
of  the  sledge,  with  both  Ebierbing  and  me  on  it. 

"We  had  other  work  than  traveling  to  do.  Wc  worked  des- 
perately to  keo})  our  faces  and  feet  from  freezing.  The  wind  was 
blowing  a  smart  breeze  all  the  way  up  the  bay,  directly  fi'om 
ahead,  at  a  temperature  of  62°  below  the  freezing  mark.  Th(^ 
air  calm,  with  a  temperature  of  100°  below  the  freezing  point  of 


488  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

• 

•water,  would  be  much  more  endurable  than  with  such  a  wind, 
charged  with  the  temi)erature  it  was.  AVe  took  turns  in  trotting 
along  beside  the  sledge,  more  for  the  object  of  keeping  ourselves 
from  freezing  than  with  the  view  of  easing  the  dogs  of  our  addi- 
tional weight.  By  the  aid  of  these  seven  dogs,  and  the  broad  run- 
ners of  this  sledge  of  Ebicrbing's,  we  were  enabled  in  two  hours 
to  reach  the  ultimatum  of  our  attempt  on  Friday.  After  getting 
half  a  mile  beyond  said  point  we  really  found  good  passable  trav- 
eling, and,  by  keeping  close  inshore,  as  far  as  our  course  would 
admit  of  it,  wc  found  much  fair  ice,  the  tide  having  overflowed 
the  snow  and  changed  it  to  ice. 

"As  wc  came  within  the  distance  of  half  a  mile  of  the  plains,! 
kept  a  constant  look-out  to  sec  if  I  could  discover  some  human 
figure  out  watching  our  approach.  I  may  here  remark,  as  an  in- 
cident of  this  journey,  that  so  cutting  was  the  cold  wind  that  it 
froze  the  water  of  the  eyes,  locking  them  up  in  ice,  so  that  it  was 
only  by  vigilance  and  effort  that  I  could  keep  myself  in  seeing 
order,  !^^any  a  lump  of  ice  that  I  was  forced  to  withdraw  from 
my  eyes  showed  specimens  of  eyelashes  embalmed  in  crystal.  As 
I  said,  I  kept  as  good  a  look-out  as  I  could,  hoping  that  our  ap- 
proach might  be  welcomed  by  the  one  we  sought  to  snatch  from 
her  desolate  imprisonment.  The  ascent  from  the  sea-ice  to  the 
plains  was  so  gradual  that  I  knew  not  when  we  were  on  the  one 
or  the  other.  I  was  also  in  doubt  about  our  having  made  the 
correct  landing,  for  the  snow  had  covered  up  all  former  sledge 
and  dog  markings;  but,  on  watching  the  motions  of  our  noble, 
vigilant  leader,  I  felt  satisfied  that  his  instinct  was  proving  true — 
that  he  was  leading  us,  by  marks  imperceptible  to  human  eye,  to 
the  point  we  so  impatiently  sought  to  reach.  This  confidence  wo 
soon  found  not  misplaced,  for  ahead  of  us  we  perceived  various 
articles  left  by  the  Innuits  who  were  recently  living  there  stick- 
ing up  above  the  snow.  The  dogs  increased  their  speed,  as  is 
usual  with  them  on  ncaring  an  inhabited  place,  and  soon  placed 
us  alongside  where  the  igloos  had  been.  But  where  were  the 
three  igloos  that  I  had  visited  Thursday,  January  30th,  a  little  less 
than  four  weeks  ago  ?  Not  one  to  be  seen !  I  took  my  snow- 
knife  from  the  sledge,  and,  after  my  companion  had  finished  his 
woi  if  whipping  down  the  dogs  to  a  prostrate  position,  I  bade 
him  follow  me. 

"  Around  and  around  we  walked,  searching  for  the  igloos.  Sure 
was  I  that  we  were  at  the  point  I  had  struggled  to  reach.    Could 


SEEKING  THE  LOST  VILLAGE.  489 

it  be  possible  that  the  deep  snow  hud  covered  thcin  up?  My  In- 
nuit  friend  told  me  that  such  was  probably  the  case.  No  foot- 
prints save  our  own  could  I  discover.  Were  we  tnivcling  hced- 
lesH^y  over  the  grave  of  her  whom  we  were  fighting  to  save? 
Th'.s  was  a  question  that  rushed  into  my  brain.  Then  the  thought 
can.e  to  me,  perhaps  she  still  lives  in  some  tomb  beneath  oui' 
feet.  List!  list!  methought  I  heard  a  sound  as  if  mulllodl  All 
was  as  still  as  a  charnel-house.  Ebierbing's  accustomed  eye  was 
not  long  in  discerning  a  spot  that  satisfied  him  that,  by  cutting 
down  through  the  snow,  it  would  lead  to  the  dome  of  an  igloo. 

"  Knowing  it  to  be  repugnant  to  his  feelings  to  touch  any  thing 
belonging  to  an  igloo  covering  the  dead,  I  spared  him  all  pain  on 
that  .score  by  digging  down  unassisted.  A  few  moments  sufliced 
to  satisfy  mc  that  Ebicrbing  had  indicated  to  mc  the  precise  spot 
leading  to  an  igloo,  for  a  few  cuts  with  my  snow-knife  brought 
me  down  to  the  dome  of  one,  and  a  few  more  through  it.  After 
cutting  a  hole  of  sufficient  si/c  to  let  in  light  and  my  head,  I  knelt 
down,  and,  with  throbbing  heart,  surveyed  within.  The  igloo  was 
vacated  of  every  thing  save  a  large  lump  of  blubber  back  upon 
the  dais  or  platform — the  bed-place  and  seat  of  the  Innuits — and 
a  few  bones,  the  remains  of  some  of  the  tuktoo  that  had  been  kill- 
ed by  the  Innuits  on  the  plains.  A  brief  search  revealed  the  apex 
of  another  igloo.  Through  the  dome  of  this  I  cut  a  hole,  but  found 
the  interior  still  more  vacant ;  not  a  thing  was  in  it,  if  I  except  a 
drift  of  snow  that  completely  filled  the  front  of  the  igloo,  closing 
up  the  place  that  had  been  used  as  the  entrance.  This  made  two 
igloos  that  I  had  searched  without  finding  the  object  of  my  sj'm- 
pathy  and  pursuit.  Where  was  the  third?  That  was  now  the 
question,  beyond  the  probability  of  being  immediately  answered. 
We  sought  here  and  there,  but  unsuccessfully  for  a  while.  Ebier- 
bing  took  an  oo-intr  (seal-spear) — which  was.  among  the  articles  I 
indicated  as  pointing  up  through  the  snow  which  we  saw  as  we 
made  our  approach — and  'sounded,'  striking  it  down  through  the 
deep  snow  in  one  place  after  another,  till  he  hit  what  told  him  the 
third  igloo  was  there.  He  called  to  me,  and  pointed  to  the  spot, 
withdrawing  himself  a  little  distance  off",  where  he  awaited  my 
opening  up  whatever  might  be  below.  Stroke  after  stroke  with 
my  long  knife  loosened  the  hard  pure  snow-drift.  I  lifted  the 
blocks  up  out  of  their  bed,  casting  them  aside.  This  was  the 
final  search.  My  feelings,  as  I  delved  away  at  this  heart-tearing 
work,  may  be  better  conceived  than  described.     The  dome  of  the 


490 


ARCTIC  RESEAKCII  EXPEDITION. 


igloo  was  readied.    The  beat  tliat  had  been  generated  within  from 
the  fire-light  had  turned  the  snow  of  which  it  was  made  into  solid 


JJC-- 


BKEKINO  THE  I.OHT  VlI.I.AIiE. 


ice,  and  I  had  difllculty  in  pfctting  a  hole  through  this.  All  ihi.s 
time  wo  were  exposed  to  the  wind,  blowing  its  cold,  freezing  blast 
from  the  northwest.  Afy  snow-knife  gave  way  in  cutting  this  icy 
dome,  and  I  was  obliged  to  take  in  its  place  the  seal-.spear.  With 
this  T  (piickly  penetrated  the  wall  under  me,  thus  revealing  i1k' 
fact  that  a  lining,  or  second  envelope,  was  3'et  to  be  cut  through 
before  I  could  determine  my  success  in  iinding  her  whom  I  sought. 
It  is  a  custom  (piite  prevalent  with  the  Innnits  to  lino  their  snow- 
houses  with  sealskins,  or  such  sail-cloth  as  they  occasionally  ob- 
tain from  the  whalers,  ibr  the  object  of  shedding  the  drojipings 
tVom  the  melting  dome  of  the  igloo,  which  follow  when  a  large 
fire-light  is  keptburning,  or  when  the  weather  becomes  very  mod- 
erate. 

''This  igloo  I  found  to  be  lined  with  both  sealskins  and  sail- 
cloth sewed  together.  With  the  knife  I  made  an  opening  through 
this  materitd.  Throwing  back  its  folds,  and  peering  down  into 
the  interior,  I  there  beheld  her  whom  my  soul  aspired  to  help 
and  to  .save.  But  she  moved  not,  she  answered  not  to  my  call. 
Could  she  be  slumbering  .so  soundly,  so  sweetly,  that  the  ordi- 
nary tone  of  the  human  voice  cou]d  not  arouse  her?  There  she 
was,  her  face  turned  to  the  wall  at  her  right,  reclining  in  her 
I'ouch,  fully  enveloped  in  bed -covering.  P^nlarging  the  opening 
I  had  already  made  for  the  purpo.sc  of  descending  into  this  igloo, 
I  called  first  to  my  Tnnnit  friend  to  come  near  me.  With  cau- 
tious steps  he  approached.  I  told  him  the  discovery  I  had  made, 
and  tluit  I  wished  him  to  assist  me  as  I  descended,  and  to  remain 


THE  WOMAN  FOUND  DEAD. 


491 


"miK  MiiVKU  NOT,  SllK  ANSttEliKI)  .NOT  To  MV  lAI.I.." 

by  wliilo  [  (letonninod  wlicthcr  the  woman  brcnthod  or  not.  As 
tlie  opening  was  dirootly  over  the  ikkutncr,  I  had  considerable 
thfllculty  in  getting  down  into  the  igloo,  but  at  last  I  was  within. 
In  breathless  silence  I  approached  the  object  before  me.  I  un- 
mittencd  my  right  hand,  and  placed  it  on  her  forehead.  //  wan 
friMd  marble!  She  is  dead!  she  is  dead!  were  my  uttered 
words  to  my  friend,  who  stood  on  the  snow  roof  looking  down, 
and  watching  intently  for  the  momcntons  result.  Her  whom  we 
thought  to  rescue,  (lod  /iiDisfJ/ had  rcscncd.  He  found  her  here, 
lonely  and  helpless,  imprisoned  in  a  clay  tabernacle,  and  /his  en- 
tombed in  ice  walls  and  snow — deserted,  abandoned  by  her  peo- 
ple, when  at  ///.•>•  bidding  an  angel  with  white  wing — whiter  than 


492  ARCTIC  RESEAIJCII  EXPEDITION. 

the  pure,  radiant  snows  around — took  the  jewel  from  its  broken 
casket,  and  bore  it  aloft  to  its  home. 

"Is  she  not  better  off  now  than  when  in  this  sinful  world?  ask- 
ed my  weeping  heart,  as  I  looked  upon  the  ice-fixed  features  be- 
fore nic.     But  the  scene  I  can  not  now  dwell  upon. 

"  I  turn  to  the  simple  record  of  my  investigations  of  whatever 
might  lead  to  a  conjecture  of  the  time  of  this  woman's  death,  and 
other  incidents  relating  thereto. 

"At  the  immediate  entrance  to  the  igloo — within  tie  igloo — 
was  a  drift  of  snow  reaching  from  the  base  to  the  dome.  This 
snow  had  found  its  way  in  by  a  crevice  not  larger  than  my  fin- 
ger. On  digging  the  drift  away,  I  found  a  portion  of  a  snow 
block  that  had  been  a  snow  door.  As  it  had  become  but  a  frag- 
p-ont  of  insufficient  size  to  seal  up  the  entrance  from  the  toohsoo, 
or  passage-way,  into  the  main  igloo,  slabs  of '  black  skin'  had  been 
piled  up,  to  moke  up  the  deficiency  of  the  snow  block.  Whether 
tliis  was  done  by  the  deserted  woman  or  not  I  can  not  decide. 
There  is  a  probability  that  the  Innuits,  who  so  cruelly  abandoned 
her  to  her  fate,  nearly  filled  up  the  entrance,  then  withdrew,  turn- 
ed round,  and,  by  means  of  their  arms  and  hands,  reaching  within 
through  the  small  opening,  completed  the  sealing  up,  the  last  act 
being  to  place  a  block  of  snow  in  the  small  remaining  crevice. 

"  The  woman,  I  doubt  not,  was  so  helpless  as  to  be  unable  to 
got  ofi'  the  bed-platform  from  the  time  the  Innuits  left  till  her 
death.  On  the  network  over  the  fireplace  was  a  single  article — a 
2Kiu-loo  (mitten).  Over  the  instrument  used  by  the  Innuits  to 
contain  their  fire-light  was  hung  a  long  iron  pan  in  which  to 
make  snow-water.  This  contained  ice,  leaving  the  evidence  that 
the  w^oman's  fire  had  ceased  to  burn,  that  the  water  had  become 
frozen,  and  that,  in  order  to  quench  her  burning  thirst,  she  had 
chipped  ice  from  the  pan  (which  hung  close  by  her  head  as  slio 
lay  in  bed)  by  means  of  her  oodloo  (woman's  knife).  A  tobacco- 
pipe  was  near  her  head  also,  apparently  having  been  used  just 
before  she  died.  By  her  side — between  her  and  the  wall  of  the 
igloo — was  a  four-gallon  tin  can,  containing  articles  of  the  char- 
acter and  variety  possessed  by  every  Iimuit  woman — needles, 
reindeer  sinews  (for  thread),  oodloo,  beads,  etc.,  etc.  There  was 
abundance  of  whale  skin  within  the  igloo,  and  so  of  ooksook  with 
which  to  continue  a  fire ;  but  all  of  it  was  down  on  the  fioor  of 
the  igloo,  without  the  reach  of  the  woman,  if  she  were  unable  to 
get  from  her  bed,  which  I  presume  was  the  case  when  the  Innuits 


RELIEF  JOURNEY.  493 

left  her.  The  bedding  was  extremely  scanty.  Over  her  limbs 
was  nauglit  but  an  old  sealskin  jacket,  over  her  body  and  shoul- 
ders the  shreds  of  a  tuktoo  skin  and  piece  of  an  old  blanket.  As 
I  turned  back  the  covering  from  ber  shoulders,  I  saw  that  she 
was  reduced  to  '  skin  and  bones.'  As  I  looked  upon  her  tattooed 
face,  it  was  youthful  and  fair;  even  a  smile  was  there,  as  if  the 
King  of  Cold  had  fastened  upon  her  at  the  very  moment  when 
her  spirit  welcomed  the  white-winged  angel  from  heaven. 

"I  know  not  how  long  I  tarried  in  tlii.s  that  had  been  her  liv- 
ing tomb,  and  was  now  the  tomb  of  that  only  which  is  earthly. 
But  at  last  I  raised  myself  through  the  opening  in  the  don.  .  by 
which  I  had  made  my  entrance,  and,  witli  the  assistance  of  my 
Inuuit  friend,  proceeded  to  cut  out  snow-blocks  and  place  them 
over  the  excavated  place  in  the  igloo.  Having  secured  it  as  well 
as  we  could,  thus  reburying,  as  it  were,  the  dead,  we  turned  our 
faces  to  the  sledge  and  dogs,  and  were  soon  on  our  way  to  the 
ship." 

On  Saturday,  ^fareh  1st,  news  arrived  by  Koodloo  of  the  ill 
success  attending  him  and  Ebierbiug  on  their  .seal-hunts  at  Too- 
koo-li-to  Inlet,  and  of  the  starving  condition  of  their  families.  1 
thereupon  determined  to  return  with  Koodloo  and  carry  food  to 
relieve  them,  and  also  to  ell'eet  arrangements  to  have  Koodloo 
and  Ebierbing,  wltli  their  families,  remove  to  Field  Bay.  We 
started  with  eight  dogs  attaclied  to  our  sledge,  but  the  deep  yield- 
ing snow  made  our  progress  at  first  very  slow.  Our  course  for 
the  first  four  miles  was  nearly  due  north,  when  wo  struck  the 
land  oil  the  east  side  of  Grinnell  ^^ount;  thence,  for  a  distance  of 
fifteen  miles,  our  journey  was  inland,  first  traversing  a  chain  of 
lakelets  cmbo.somed  amid  mountains.  When  about  three  miles 
inland  on  our  wa}',  we  came  across  an  igloo  nearly  buried  in 
snow ;  it  was  one  that  had  been  made  a  half-way  house  by  Ebier- 
bing and  his  party  in  going  up.  After  this  our  way  wound  in 
and  out  among  tiic  mountain.s,  up  and  down  the  steep  sides,  the 
sledge  often  nearly  running  over  the  dogs,  till  we  came  to  Too- 
koolito  Inlet,  where  we  expected  to  find  Ebierbing,  bis  wife,  and 
Kood loo's  family. 

"Isaiah,"  the  little  son  of  Koodloo,  was  seen  coming  out  to 
meet  us,  and  soon  afterward  we  reached  the  igloos.  Tookoolito 
gladl}'  welcomed  us,  her  husband  being  out  over  a  seal-hole.  The 
next  day,  ^Mareh  3d,  finding  that  Ebierbing  had  not  5'et  come  in, 
Koodloo  and  I  went  in  search  of  him  with  dogs  and  sledge. 


494  AUCTIC  IJESEAHt'll  ICXrKDlTIDN. 

AVhcn  within  three  caWes' (hstancc  of  where  he  was  still  seated 
beside  the  seal-hole,  having  been  there  since  the  previous  niorn- 
hig,  ho  signilied  to  us  not  to  appi'oaeh  nearer,  lest  we  should 
frighten  the  seal,  as  it  had  come  up  and  given  a  pufl'  We  then 
returned  to  the  igloo  and  remained  lor  another  night.  On  the 
morning  of  ]\Iarch  -1th  Ebierbing  had  not  returned,  and  T  wcm 
once  more  to  look  for  hiin,  l)nt  soon  discovered  him  approaching. 
He  had  been  ttro  dud  (i  InilJ  f/ayv  (ind  fico  7ii;/hts  at  that  seal-hole, 
patiently  silting  over  it  vilhovl  fuod  or  drinl!  and  he  had  not 
caught  the  seal  either.  On  returning  to  the  itj-loo  some  scjuii  and 
other  food  was  given  him,  and  he  then  expressed  a  determination 
to  go  and  try  again. 

On  the  evening  of  ^[arch  atli  I  was  again  at  the  shij>,  Ebior- 
biug,  his  wife,  and  infant  having  aeet)mpaui<'d  me.  I  lelt  a  siip- 
l^ly  of  my  jiemmiean  A)r  Koodloo  and  hi,>  family,  until  l^bierbing 
should  relui'u  with  the  dogs  and  sledge  for  them. 

The  last  hall'  of  the  monlh  oi' ]\hirch  1  was  chiefly  ociMipi-il 
with  prej)arations  for  the  sledge  journey  which  I  projiosed  makiuL: 
up  Frobisher  r>ay,  and  to  which  I  Jiave  before  referred.  F  con- 
clude this  chapter  with  an  extract  from  my  diar}' of  Januaiv  yih, 
concerning  a  subject  which  was  always  ju'esent  with  me,  and  to  ;i 
consideration  of  which  I  gave  many  thouglitful  hours: 

"This  r.^1.  r  have  callcil  on  my  Innuit  friends  Ebierbing  and 
Tookoolito.  They  are  going  to  accompany  me  to  the  I'nited 
States.  I  take  them  with  the  object  cjf  having  them  as  interprel- 
ors  on  111}-  still  }ii'opos('d  voyage  to  King  William's  Land  and 
Boothia  b'elix.  Among  the  innuits  who  sjhmuI  their  lives  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  places  named,  there  exists  the  history  of  Sir  John 
Franklin's  expedition  from  about  the  time  the  /•Jn.hiis  and  7'r/v,, 
became  beset  in  the  ice,  near  King  William's  Land,  to  its  linal  di.<- 
persion,  and  of  all  events  connected  therewith.  I  rejieat:  the  his- 
tory of  Sir  John  Franklin's  ex]H'dition  exists  among  the  Innuits 
now  living  on  and  in  the  \-ieinitv  of  King  William's  ljand,^hin- 
treal  Island,  and  rxKithia  l''elix  J'eiunsula.  I  am  almost  /msilir'. 
that  il'  I  can  be  so  blessed  by  the  Powei-  that  overrules  all  things 
as  to  make  a  successful  jiassagt;  to  the  field  of  my  desired  o])era- 
tions,  I  can,  after  a  time,  aceom[)!ish  such  a  work  as  shall  make  it 
a  matter  of  astonishment  to  the  civilized  world  that  the  same  has 
not  been  done  before.'' 


F.llliatlllMl    AUAlTlSli    A    KllAl.'s    "I.LOW." 


SLEDGE  JOURNEY.  497 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Commencement  of  Sledge  Journey  up  Frobishcr  Bny. — Parting  with  Tookoolito. — 
Crossing  the  Pass. — Arrival  at  OoinniK'iewiiiK. —Search  for  tiie  "Anvil." — A 
Seal-feast. — A  AValriis  Hunt. — Speiirin^  the  Walrus. — Biiiklini;  an  Igloo. — In- 
nuit  Puppies. — Arrival  at  Brewster  Point. — A  young  Seal. — Unsuccessful  At- 
tempt to  catch  the  Mother. — Trij)  uj)  Newton's  Fiord, — Out  all  Night. — An  ex- 
temi)ore  Igloo  the  fourtli  Eucanipnient. — Dog  Comforters. — Caugiit  iu  a  Storm. 
— Peril  and  Fatigue. — Safe  lleturn  to  the  fifth  Encampment,  same  as  the  third. 

Ox  Tuesday,  the  1st  of  April,  1862, 1  started  on  my  exploring 
sledge  trip  up  Frobisbcr  Bay,  to  whicli  a'lusion  has  already  been 
made  (sec  page  471).  Some  of  the  ofllcers  and  crew  of  tbc  Gcorrje 
llmrij  were  proceeding  to  Oopungiiewing  with  a  whale-boat  and 
whaling  apparatus  lashed  to  a  sledge  drawn  by  dogs,  and  I  took 
the  opportunity  of  transporting  my  material  over  the  Bayard 
Taylor  I'ass,  [)roposing  to  go  on  from  Oopungncwing  with  the 
ship's  sledge 

The  party  consisted  of  nine  persons,  four  belonging  to  the 
ship's  company,  four  Innuits,  and  myself,  and  at  7  A.M.  wc  start- 
ed from  the  ship.  Our  team  of  dogs  was  a  good  one,  numbering 
nineteen,  all  in  excellent  order,  and  in  two  hours  wc  made  the 
land,  commencing  the  journey  across  the  Pass.  Tookoolito,  who 
had  been  of  great  assistance  to  me  in  making  my  preparations  for 
this  journey,  had  promised  to  see  me  in  the  morning  and  bid  mc 
good-by;  but  she  overslept  herself,  and  I  was  disappointed  of 
seeing  her.  After  making  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  on  looking 
back  I  saw  an  Innuit  far  behind,  but  supposed  it  to  be  one  of 
our  party  whom  our  quick  movement  had  left  in  the  rear.  Pi'cs- 
cntly  one  of  the  ship's  company  called  my  attention  to  the  fact 
that  Tookoolito  was  hastening  after  us.  I  knew  at  once  that  the 
noble-hearted  woman  was  anxious  to  see  me,  in  accordance  with 
her  exprcs.sed  purpose  of  the  previous  evening.  Turning  back,  I 
met  her  laboriously  working  her  way  along  among  the  hum- 
mocky  ice,  quite  exhausted  widi  her  exertions.  As  soon  as  she 
could  speak,  she  said,  "  I  wanted  to  see  you  before  you  left,  to 
bid  you  good-by."  I  thanked  her,  expressed  my  regret  for  the 
trouble  she  had  tpken,  and  asked  where  her  babe  was.     She 

Ii 


498  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

rolled  down  her  hood,  and  there,  nestled  at  her  back,  was  the 
sweetly-sleeping  Tuk-e-lik-e-ta.  Taking  Tookoolito  by  the  hand, 
I  thanked  her  for  all  her  kindness  to  me,  and  assured  her  that 

Captain  B would  attend  to  her  and  Ebierbing's  wants  while 

I  was  absent,  seeing  that  they  did  not  suU'er  for  lack  of  food.  J 
then  sent  her  back  with  two  of  the  crew  who  had  accompanied 
us  thus  far,  but  were  now  returning. 

The  descent  of  the  Pass  was  for  a  portion  of  the  way  danger- 
ous, and  at  all  times  exciting ;  the  passage  was  down  three  de- 
clivities, one  of  which  was  at  an  angle  of  45°.  To  guard  against 
accident,  the  Innuits  placed  straps  made  of  walrus  hide  over  the 
forward  part  of  each  runner,  allowing  the  same  to  sweep  back  un- 
der the  runners;  this  acted  as  a  drag  by  digging  deep  into  the 
snow.  To  the  stern  of  the  sledge  was  fastened  a  line  twenty  fath- 
oms long,  to  which  Lamb,  ^Morgan,  and  myself  clung  for  the  pur- 
pose of  holding  back.  The  dog-driver  was  directly  in  front  of 
his  team,  whipping  them  back,  so  that  thoy  might  not  give  to  the 
sledge  any  swifter  motion  than  it  would  have  fi'om  its  own  impe- 
tus.   Thus  the  descent  was  safely  aceomjilishcd. 

We  arrived  at  Oopungnewing  at  4  P.M.,  having  been  on  the 
way  but  nine  hours,  and  wcn-e  kindly  welcomed  by  the  Innuits, 
large  and  small,  as  wc  drove  up  to  their  igloos  on  the  southeast 
end  of  the  island.  Several  of  the  ship's  crew  were  also  there,  liv- 
ing with  them,  and  apparently  enjoying  i)erfect  health. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  I  })rocccded  to  the  igloo  of  Artarkparu, 
to  learn  the  precise  spot  where  he  had  last  seen  the  "  anvil."  An- 
nawa  was  with  the  old  man  ;  and  from  the  conversation  that  fol- 
lowed, I  soon  found  that  Ar-Iood-loong,  the  wife  of  Artarkparu,  who 
was  seated  at  her  usual  place  before  the  ikkumer,  was  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  particulars  than  any  other  one  of  the  party.  1 
immediately  promised  her  beads  and  tobacco  if  she  would  accom- 
pany me  to  the  spot  where  the  relic  could  be  found.  With  alac- 
rity .slie  drew  on  her  hodlins,  and  bounded  out  like  a  deer,  pro- 
ceeding over  the  rocks  westward,  while  I  exchanged  a  few  more 
words  with  the  two  old  men.  They  informed  me  that  when  this 
"anvil"  was  last  seen  it  was  within  ten  fathoms  of  where  we  then 
were,  but  that  it  had  been  tumbled  off  the  rocks  into  the  sea.  At 
very  low  water  it  could  be  seen ;  and  they  told  me  that  the  ice 
would  go  away  from  the  place  before  the  ship  sailed,  and  that 
they  would  help  me  get  it  then. 

I  then  joined  Arloodloong,  w^ho  had  waited  for  mc  upon  the 


ANVIL.— THE  WALRUS  HUNT.  499 

rocks,  and  slie  directed  my  attention  to  a  certain  level  spot  of 
land  not  far  off,  where  the  natives  sometimes  build  their  igloos 
or  erect  tuples.  She  said  that,  when  she  had  a  nu-tar-ung  (babe) 
yet  unborn,  the  "heavy  stone"  (anvil)  was  there,  and  was  used  as 
a  seat  by  herself  and  many  Innuits  who  at  that  time  had  their  ig- 
loos on  the  spot.  On  inquiring  which  of  her  sons  was  the  nu- 
tarung  to  whicli  she  referred,  she  rei)lied  Kod-la-ar-linj,  a  young 
man  I  supposed  to  be  about  twenty-live  years  of  age.  llcr  moth- 
er'had  also  seen  it  there ;  but,  after  a  time,  her  people  had  brought 
it  away  to  the  locality  indicated  by  Artakparu,  and  had  finally 
tumbled  it  into  the  sea. 

In  the  evening  Koojesse  came  home,  drawing  into  his  igloo 
three  seals  and  a  fox.  One  seal,  I  should  think,  weighed  200 
jjounds.  The  two  others  were  young  ones,  of  but  two  or  three 
days  old,  both  as  white  as  snow.  lie  caught  the  mother  and  one 
of  the  young  oiics  in  a  seal's  igloo,  which  was  on  the  ice  and  over 
a  seal-hole. 

Just  before  sundown  I  took  a  walk  to  the  top  of  the  hill  at 
Oopungnewing,  and  saw  Jones's  Cape,  and  many  other  places 
where  I  had  previously  been.  Kingaite's  rampart  of  mountains 
also  stood  up  in  grandeur  before  me.  The  Bay  of  Frobishcr  was 
tilled  with  fragments  of  ice,  sendmg  forth  thundering  noises  as 
the  swift  tides  dashed  pico  after  piece  upon  each  other.  I  was 
delighted  to  sec  on  the  north  side  an  unbroken  pathway  along  the 
coast  upward. 

That  evening  a  great  seal-foast  took  place  in  Koojcsse's  igloo, 
old  Artarkparu  and  his  family  being  present.  Of  course  Ijoinq/i 
in  it,  and  participated  in  eating  the  raw,  warm-blooded  seal,  tak- 
ing it  Innuit  fashion — that  is,  disposing  of  several  pounds  of  raw 
meat  at  one  sitting.  The  young  seal  (which  I  tasted  at  supper 
on  the  following  day)  was  tender  and  fine,  eating  like  a  spring 
chicken. 

Owing  to  various  causes,  I  had  to  stay  at  Oopungnewing  for 
several  days,  and  during  that  time  I  occupied  myself  with  writ- 
ing and  making  observations.  On  April  oth,  Koojesse,  with  sev- 
eral others  of  the  natives,  went  out  on  a  walrus  hunt,  and  in  the 
afternoon  I  spent  some  time  watching  them  in  tlieir  operations. 
They  were  about  four  miles  out,  walking  in  Indian  file,  making 
their  way  on  drifting,  broken  ice.  Soon  after,  one  of  the  Innuitsi^ 
looking  at  the  party,  said  they  had  killed  a  walrus,  and  the  dogs 
were  at  once  harnessed  to  the  sledge  and  sent  out  on  the  ice-floe, 


500  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

to  the  edge  of  it,  to  wait  there  till  the  Innuits  should  ^^et  tlie  wal- 
rus cut  up.  At  about  ten  o'clock  at  night  it  was  announced  that 
the  party  was  returning;  then  the  cry  of  the  dogs  was  hoard,  and 
.soon  Koojcsse  entered,  dragging  after  him  a  huge  cut  of  walrus. 
The  news  he  communicated  was  cheering,  lie  had  struck  and 
secured  one,  and  Annawa  another.  Five  had  been  struck  through 
the  day,  though  only  two  had  been  secured.  Ooksin  struck  one, 
but  his  iron  "drew;"  Kooksmith  lost  one  by  the  breaking  of  his 
"  gig."  A  considerable  portion  of  the  next  day  was  consumed  in 
bringing  in  the  meat.  The  walrus  struck  by  Annawa  was  of 
good  size,  weighing  not  far  from  1500  pounds;  that  of  Ko(>jesse 
was  not  so  large. 

The  manner  of  taking  the  walrus  is  as  follows:  The  hunter  has 
a  peculiar  spear,  to  which  is  attached  a  long  line  made  of  walrus 
hide  ;  this  lino  is  coiled,  and  hung  about  his  neck  ;  thus  prepared, 
he  hides  himself  among  the  broken  drifting  ice,  and  awaits  the 
moment  for  striking  his  game.  The  spear  is  then  thrown  (as 
shown  in  the  accompanying  engraving),  and  the  hunter  at  once 
slips  the  coil  of  line  off  his  head,  fastens  the  end  to  the  ice  by 
driving  a  spear  through  a  loop  in  it,  and  waits  till  the  walrus 
comes  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  into  which  he  has  plunged  on 
feeling  the  stroke  of  the  harpoon ;  then  the  animal  is  quickly  dis- 
patched by  the  use  of  a  long  lance.  The  recklessness  and  cool 
daring  of  the  Innuit  is  forcibly  shown  in  this  operation,  for  if  ho 
.should  fail  to  free  his  neck  of  the- coil  at  just  the  right  moment, 
he  would  inevitably  be  drawn  headlong  beneath  the  ice. 

At  length,  on  the  morning  of  April  7th,  I  resumed  my  trip. 
Ebierbing  had  come  over  with  the  sledge  on  the  previous  day, 
and  I  made  an  exchange  with  him,  taking  his,  and  giving  him 
that  belonging  to  the  ship.  My  company  consisted  of  Koojessc, 
his  wife  Tunukderlicn,  Kar-nci-nvrj  ("Sharkey"),  his  wife  Xoial 
farng  ("Jennie"),  and  young  Henry  Smith.  We  proceeded  on 
the  sea-ice,  nearly  northwest,  for  Chapel's  Point,  at  the  west  side 
of  the  entrance  of  Wiswell's  Inlet.  Our  sledge  was  heavily  laden, 
especially  with  Iviu  (walrus  hide)  for  dog  food,  and  walrus  beef 
for  our  own  eating;  but  the  traveling  was  good,  and  we  made 
better  progress  than  I  had  expected,  arriving  at  the  place  named 
at  about  4  P.M. 

^  Then  Sharkey  and  Koojesse  proceeded  to  build  an  igloo  in  tlie 
regular  manner,  which  may  be  described  thus:  They  first  sound- 
ed or  "prospected"  the  snow  with  their  seal-spears  to  find  the 


llAUroO-MNU   A    WAMIUS. 


KJLOO  nuiLDixo.  505 

most  suitiihlc  Cor  tliat  purposo.  'I'licii  oik«  commenced  sawing 
out  snow  blocks,  iiHinj:;  a  hand-saw,  an  ini[ilonient  now  in  ;,ni.'at 
demand  among  tiie  Innuits  for  this  purpose;  tho  bkjcks  having 
been  cut,  iVoin  thi;  space  tiie  igloo  was  to  occupy,  the  other  Iiniuit, 
procei:ded  to  hiy  the  Ibunihilion  tier,  whicli  consisted  of  seventeen 
blocks,  each  three  feet  long,  eighteen  inches  wide,  and  six  inchc; 
thick.  Theii  connnenced  the  "spiraling,"  allowing  each  tifi-  to 
/'all  in,  di)me-sha[)('(l,  till  the  wIkjIc  was  comi^lcted,  and  tlu;  key- 
stone oi' lilt!  donu!  or  iirch  drop|K'd  into  its  jilace,  the  buildcis  be- 
ing within  during  the  operation.  When  the  igloo  was  linishcd 
the  two  inmiitrf  were  walled  in;  then  a  srpiarc  opening  was  awl 
at  the  rear  <)(' the  dwelling,  and  through  this  Smith  and  T  passed 
some  snow  bloc^ks  which  wc.  had  sawed  out.  These  Sharkey  and 
Koojess(!  cliip|)e(l  or  "  minceir'  with  their  snow-kiiives,  w'hili!  Tu- 
nukderlicu  and  demiie  trod  the  fragments  into  a  hard  bed  ofsiiow, 
Ibrmiiig  tlu!  couch  or  dais  of  the  igloo.  This  done,  the  women 
(piiekly  erected  on  the  right  and  lell  the  iinvstaiids,  and  soon  had 
lires  bla/ing,  and  snow  melting  with  which  to  slake  our  thirst. 
TIhmi  the  usual  shrubs,  kept  lor  that  purpose,  w(!ro  evenly  spread 
on  the  snow  of  tlu;  bed-place;  over  that  was  laitl  the  canvas  ol 
my  tent,  and  over  all  were  spread  tiiktoo  I'urs,  Ibrming  the  bed. 
When  the  work  had  been  thus  far  advanced,  the  main  door  was 
cut  out  of  the  crystal  white  wall,  and  tin;  walrus  meat  and  other 
things  were  passed  in.  Then  both  openings  we're  sealed  up,  and 
all  within  were  madt!  happy  in  the  enjoyment  of  comforts  that 
would  hardly  be  dreamed  of  by  those  at  home. 

I  must  lu're  mention  an  incident  v  liieli  shows  that  the  Innuits 
arc  equal  to  any  emergency  which  may  aiise  in  their  own  coun- 
try. For  my  sui)per  1  had  .some  pemmiean  soup,  but,  on  tasting 
it, it  was  too  fresh,  and  we  had  no  .salt.  What  could  we  do'/  In 
a  moment  that  was  decideil.  Sharkey,  on  hearing  what  was 
wanted,  took  his  knife  and  cut  down  into  the  snow  floor  of  the 
icloo,  in  less  than  a  minute  eominu;  to  salt  water.  This  aston- 
ishcd  me,  and  I  asked  how  it  was  that  salt  water  had  thus  got 
above  the  main  ice.  They  replied  that  the  great  depth  of  snow 
on  the  ice  })re.s.sed  it  down. 

During  that  day's  trip  1  found  that  two  puppies  formed  part  of 
our  company.  Their  mother  was  an  excellent  sledge-dog  of  our 
team.  The  i)ups  were  carried  in  the  logs  of  a  pair  of  fur  breech- 
es, and  they  rode  on  the  sledge  wdien  traveling.  Every  time  we 
made  a  stop  they  were  taken  out  of  their  warm  quarters  and  giv- 


i 


.i 


506 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


en  to  the  mother  for  nursing.    When  we  arrived  at 
ment  above  referred  to,  Sharkey  built  up  a  small 
the  parent  dog  and  her  offspring.    The  Iniiuits  take 
of  their  young  dogs  as  they  do  of  their  children,  a; 
even  more. 

The  following  day,  April  8th,  I  found  that  some 
land  dogs  were  missing.  This  consecjuently  delayc 
could  do  was  to  wait  patiently  until  they  were  re 
Oojnmgnewing,  to  which  place  they  had  returned. 
Sharkey  went  out  after  young  seals,  and  came  back 
coat  white  and  like  wool.  In  the  evening  we  ha 
from  a  portion  of  this  seal,  and  never  did  I  eat  more 
It  were  "a  dainty  dish  to  set  before  a  king,"  But 
icacy  we  enjoj^ed  was  mi/k.  Every  young  seal  has 
stomach  from  a  pint  to  a  quart  of  its  mother's  milk, 
consider  this  a  luxury,  either  raw  or  boiled,  rnd  so 
took  of  this  milk,  eating  .some  of  it  first  raw,  and  al 
of  it  boiled.  It  had  the  taste  of  cocoanut  milk,  ai 
like  that  of  a  cow. 

The  next  two  days,  April  9th  and  10th,  were  spei 
encampment,  though  on  the  former  day  I  explored 
to  its  northernmost  limit.  On  the  morning  of  the 
ceeded  on  our  journey.  As  we  neared  Peter  Fc 
sledge  party  of  Innuits  met  us,  and  it  was  soon  i 
were  mutual  friends.  They  were  stopping  on  a:i  it 
Nou\  arn,  and  intended  to  go  up  the  bay  ;  I  therelbi 
meet  them  again.  We  arrived  at  a  place  on  the  i( 
ster's  Point,  on  the  western  side  of  J'eter  Force  Soun 
male  Ininiits  immediately  began  to  erect  an  igloo.  ' 
en  started  off,  each  with  dog  and  hook,  to  hunt  for  s^ 
in  live  minutes  Jeniiiii's  loud  voice  announced  that 
liad  captured  a  young  seal.  Instantly  Koojesse 
dropped  their  snow-knife  and  saw,  leaped  the  walls  c 
erected  igloo,  and  hastened  with  all  sjieed  to  the  \\c 
and  I  had  preceded  them  ;  but,  alter  we  had  all  stai 
bered  that  we  had  left  our  walrus  meat  and  other 
posed  to  the  dogs;  I  therefore  directed  Henry  to  re 
out  for  them. 

On  reaclung  the  place  of  capture,  we  found  that 
had  beneath  lier  feet  a  young  seal  alive  and  kiekii 
immediately  made  a  line  fast  to  one  of  its  hind  fli 


A  SEAL'S  IGLOO.  507 

lowed  the  seal  to  re-enter  the  igloo  where  it  had  been  eaught.  As 
this  was  something  new  and  interesting  to  me,  I  intently  watched 
what  followed.  The  seal  was  perhaps  two  or  three  weeks  old, 
and,  like  all  young  seals,  was  white,  though  not  as  white  as  un- 
tainted snow.  While  Koojessc  kept  hold  of  the  line,  four  or  five 
fathoms  long,  the  seal  worked  itself  hastily  back  into  the  igloo,  its 
birthplace,  and  there  made  a  plunge  down  the  seal-hole  into  the 
sea.  Koojesse  allowed  it  the  whole  play  of  his  line,  crawling  into 
the  igloo,  taking  the  seal-hook  with  him,  and  waiting  patiently 
for  the  parent  seal  to  come  up.  I  was  close  by  him,  there  being 
just  sufiicicnt  room  through  the  opening  made  when  the  young- 
seal  was  caught  fur  me  to  push  myself  in.  There,  lying  flat  down, 
we  both  carefully  watched.  In  three  or  four  minutes  the  young 
seal  returned,  popping  up  its  round,  shining  head,  and  blowing  or 
pufTmg  like  a  whale,  though  on  a  reduced  scale,  its  large  eyes 
glistening  like  lights  from  twinkling  stars.  It  came  directly  to 
its  bed-place  where  we  reclined.  As  it  attempted  to  crawl  up, 
Koojesse  gave  it  a  stroke  on  the  head,  signifying  "Go  away — 
dive  down — show  to  your  mother  that  you,  the  darling  of  her  af- 
iections,  are  in  trouble,  and  when  she  comes  to  your  aid  I'll  hook 
her  too."  Tlie  two  women  were  now  close  by  ns,  each  with  a 
seal-dog,  and  while  thus  waiting  T  had  a  good  opportunity  for  in- 
specting a  seal's  igloo.  It  was  a  model  of  those  which  the  Innuits 
make  for  themselves,  and  was  completely  dome-shaped.  It  was 
five  feet  or  so  in  diameter,  and  two  and  a  half  feet  high,  with  a 
depth  of  snow  above  it  of  some  live  feet.  The  platform  of  sea- 
ice  was  where  the  parent  seal  gave  birth  to  its  young,  and  after- 
ward nursed  it.  On  one  side  was  the  seal-hole,  filled  with  sea- 
water,  which  was  within  two  inches  of  the  top  of  the  platform. 

After  waiting  some  time,  and  finding  that  the  old  seal  would 
not  show  itself,  the  young  one  was  withdrawn  and  jilaccd  on  the 
snow.  Then  Koojesse  put  his  foot  upon  its  back,  between  the 
fore-arms  or  fli})pers,  and  pressed  with  all  his  weight,  the  object 
being  to  kill  the  seal  by  stopping  its  breath.  Innuits  adopt  this 
mode  in  preference  to  using  knife  or  spear.  It  prevents  the  loss 
of  what  is  to  them  the  precious  portion — the  blood. 

On  returning  to  our  encampment,  we  found  that  the  dogs  had 
made  sad  havoc  with  our  walrus  meat  and  blubber,  and  other 
things  in  general.  However,  as  it  could  not  now  be  helped, 
we  put  up  with  it.  Our  supper  that  night  was  blessed  cold 
water,  chunks  of  cold  pemmican,  and  raw  frozen  walrus  meat. 


508  ARCTIC  RESEAIICII  EXPEDITION. 

Tlio  following  day,  April  12th,  while  Sharkey  and  Koojesse 
were  engaged  in  the  locality  oF  my  third  encampment  hunting 
young  seal,  1  started,  accompanied  by  my  attendant,  Henry  Smith, 
to  explore  another  bay  which  appeared  to  run  up  some  distance 
beyond  Peter  Force  Sound.  I  expected  to  be  able  to  go  and  re- 
turn in  one  day,  and  therefore  made  no  preparations  beyond  tak- 
ing half  a  pound  of  pemmican  and  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  Bor- 
den's meat-biscuit,  intended  for  our  lunch.  As  I  wished  to  keep 
a  careful  account  of  the  distance  traveled,  I  took  the  line  used  by 
me  when  on  the  Greenland  coast,  near  Ilolsteinborg,  in  drawing 
out  of  the  great  deep  many  a  cod  and  halibut,  and  measured  off 
with  tape-line  seventy -five  feet;  my  log  then  consisted  of  a  cold 
chisel  used  by  me  in  cutting  out  my  rock  pemmican. 

It  should  be  said,  however,  that  previous  to  this  time,  and  on 
all  subsequent  occasions  when  my  whole  company  were  with  nic. 
and  all  our  provision  was  to  be  carried,  no  one  could  ride  on  the 
sknlge,  the  dogs  having  diflieulty  even  in  dragging  their  necessary 
load.  Consequently,  at  such  times,  all  my  measurements  between 
my  astronomically -determined  points  had  to  ])c.  made  by  pacing — 
a  tolerably  accurate,  but,  withal,  a"  very  tiresome  method  of  work- 
ing. 

I  found  many  ajiparent  heads  to  the  bay  during  my  passage* 
up,  ani  at  each  turn  it  seemed  as  if  we  had  reached  the  termina- 
tion ;  but,  ou  making  the  several  points  of  land,  others  were  found 
beyond. 

After  some  hours  of  travel  the  dogs  became  very  tired,  the 
snow  allowing  them  to  sink  to  their  bodies  at  every  step.  It  was 
growing  late;  a  snow-storm  was  coming  on;  to  return  was  im- 
possible; we  therefore  set  about  making  ourselves  as  comforta- 
ble as  circumstances  would  allow.  "We  had  no  snow-knife,  but 
an  impromptu  igloo  was  {)launed  which  we  built  of  the  sledge 
and  snow,  getting  out  the  blocks  of  the  latter  in  the  best  way 
possible,  that  is  to  sav,  with  a  broken  sledge-bi'am. 

"When  the  igloo  was  finished,  and  before  the  door  was  scaled 
up,  we  took  in  the  dogs,  and  were  soon  really  comfortable.  The 
storm  came  down  fearful!}',  but  we  were  well  j)rotcctcd  ;  the  beat- 
ing snow  sought  an  entrance,  but  could  find  none.  Fortunately, 
we  had  saved  a  jiiecc  of  the  jiemmican  from  our  lunch,  and  this 
served  to  give  us  just  a  mouthful  for  sup})er;  some  fi'agmcnts  of 
the  meat-biscuit  also  remained;  and  after  this  frugal  repast  and 
some  pipes  of  tobacco,  we  retired  to  our  snow  bed.     I  had  one 


WHITE  MAN'S  IGLOO.— THE  STOKJI.  509 

dog  for  my  feet-warmer,  another  for  my  pillow,  while  a  third  was 
arched  at  my  back,  llcnry  was  also  comfortably  provided  for, 
My  diary  for  that  day,  written  iu  the  igloo  of  a  white  man's  in- 
vention, concludes  ns  follows : 

"Now  within  a  few  minutes  of  midnight.  Ilark!  a  singular 
noise  strikes  the  ear.  Perhaps  it  is  a  polar  bear!  We  listen. 
Aoraiu  the  same  alarininsr  noise.  Another  sound,  and  wc  determ- 
ine  its  source.  It  is  the  snoring  of  one  of  the  dogs!  So  good- 
night to  all  the  sleeping  world.  Heaven  bless  all  those  who  need 
it;  none  needs  it  more  than  myself." 

The  next  moniing,  April  13th,  I  arose  from  my  snowy  couch 
at  live  o'clock,  knocked  my  head  against  the  snow  door,  made  my 
way  over  its  ruins  on  all-fours,  then  stood  erect  and  looked 
around.  The  heavens  seemed  to  indicate  the  dawn  of  a  beautiful 
day.  I  called  up  Henry,  and  soon  the  dogs  were  harnessed,  when 
wc  ])roceeded  toward  the  head  of  this  narrow  bay — Newton's 
Fiord,"'^'as  I  named  it — which  wc  reached  at  7  A.^f.  The  termi- 
nation I  found  to  consist  of  a  broken  narrow  plain,  walled  by  a 
line  of  mountains  on  either  side. 

Before  wii  reached  this  spot  the  snow  commenced  falling, 
though  the  lull  was  accompanied  by  no  wind,  and  the  weather 
was  very  thick.  Soon  after  seven  wc  started  on  our  return  jour- 
ney to  our  encampment,  and  at  nine  o'clock  we  were  abreast  of 
the  ])lacc  where  wc  had  passed  the  previous  night.  At  that  time 
the  wind  was  freshening,  and  it  was  snowing  hard.  Our  passage 
thence  to  the  place  of  our  encampment  was  very  diflicult.  Not 
only  had  we  to  encounter  a  severe  northwest  gale,  charged  with 
cold  at  32°  below  the  fi'cczing-point,  accompanied  by  drift-snow 
lining  the  air  so  thickly  that  often  no  objects  at  three  fathoms'  dis- 
tance could  be  seen,  but  the  dogs  became  perfectly  exhausted  from 
being  overworked,  and  from  going  long  without  food.  On  mak- 
ing inquiries  of  Henry  Smith,  I  learned  that  Sharkey  and  Koojcssc 
had  been  feeding  their  own  dogs  and  neglecting  my  "Greenland- 
er.s,"  which  were  now  just  on  the  point  f  giving  out.  Two  of 
them  were  so  knocked  up  before  reachi.ig  home  that  they  could 
not  pull  a  pound;  one  was  so  fatigued  that  he  repeatedly  fell 
down.  I  was  obliged  to  lead  the  way  for  several  miles  by  the 
compass,  it  being  impossible  to  sec  the  land,  though  the  fiord  was 
only  from  half  a  mile  to  two  miles  wide. 

*  NmiiDil  nftcr  0.  E.  Nowtnn,  M.D.,  of  riiuiiinati,  Ohio.  Tlic  terniiTialioii  of 
Newton's  Fioi-il  is  in  hit.  03°  l.'2'  N.,  long.  WP  0."  AV. 


510 


AUCTIC  KESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


THE  UETUK.N    FKO.M    NKWTO.Ntl   FlUlUI. 


During  the  afternoon  the  sun  shone  down  tlirougli  the  storm 
that  seemed  only  hugging  the  earth.  For  the  hist  nine  miles 
whieh  I  made  along  by  the  west  side  of  the  fiord  and  Peter  Force 
Sound,  the  mountains  would  every  few  moments  show  a  shadctl 
contour — a  ghost-like  faiiitness — by  which  I  was  enabled  to  make 
my  course  without  the  compass.  When  within  two  miles  of  the 
igloos  I  came  upon  pur  sledge-tracks  of  the  day  before,  and  these 
I  followed  carefully  while  they  were  visible;  but,  with  all  my 
care,  the  track  was  soon  lost ;  and  as  the  land  was  again  closed 
from  view,  wc  should  have  been  in  grievous  difficulty  had  not 
the  compass  guided  me.  The  risk  was  indeed  great;  for  in  such 
a  storm  we  might  easily  have  gone  out  to  sea,  or  the  ice  of  the 
bay  on  which  wc  were  traveling  might  have  broken  up  and  car- 
ried us  away. 

Providentiall}',  wc  reached  the  encampment  —  my  fifth,  as  1 
called  it,  whieh  was  the  same  as  the  third— at  5  10  P.M.,  find- 
ing Sharkey  on  the  look-out,  anxiously  awaiting  us,  while  Koo- 
jesse  was  out  in  search  of  me.  The  Imuiits,  all  through  the  pi'c- 
vious  night,  had  kept  my  lantern  suspended  to  a  polo  by  the  igloo 
as  a  beacon  light.  Hot  sup{)ers  were  quickly  prepared  for  us  by 
the  women,  and  wc  soon  retired  to  rest. 


FIGHTING  THE  HUNGliY  DOGS.  511 


criAPTER  xxxnr. 

Continue  the  Journpy  up'FrohisIior  Ray. — Arrive  at  Beauty  Bay. — The  Sleclffc  at- 
taekecl  by  hungry  Dogs. — Meeting  uith  Friends. — Bcrenvemcnt  of  old  Allokeo 
and  his  Wife. — Death  of  Tweroong. — Ilcart-ronding  l'artieiiiar.s.  —A  Xoiil-fea.'st. 
— A  sudden  Excitement. — Strange  Visit  of  an  Augeko  — Parting  with  Allokeo. 
— Visit  to  the  Grimieli  Ghu'ier. — Ascent  by  Pohir  Bear  Tracks. — A  Sea  of  Ice. — 
An  exciting  Journey  back. 

DuuiXG  the  day,  April  1-itli,  1S02, 1  rcinaincd  quiet  in  the  ig- 
loo, engaged  in  writing  and  workiiig  up  observations.  On  the 
loth  I  made  a  trip  up  the  cast  arm  of  Peter  Force  Sound ;  and 
on  the  16th  wc  left  the  fifth  (same  as  third)  encampment,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  \\\)  Frobishcr  Bay.  Wc  made  but  slow  progress  on  ac- 
count of  sealing,  there  being  a  necessity  for  obtainuig  all  the  food 
'  that  could  be  found.  Six  of  us,  besides  the  dog.s,  required  a  large 
quantity.  After  journeying  seven  miles,  we  made  our  next  en- 
campment on  the  ice  a  few  paces  from  a  jwint  of  land  forming 
the  west  capo  of  a  pretty  little  bay,  which,  on  the  boat-voyage  in 
the  previous  fall,  I  had  called  Beauty  Vmy.  Tliat  night  we  had  a 
different  kind  of  dwelling  from  the  one  ordinarily  occupied  by 
us.  The  weather  was  now  occasionally  warm  enough  to  admit 
of  half  igloo  and  half  tuple,  which  was  made  by  omitting  the 
dotne,  and  placing  tent-poles,  covered  with  canvas,  on  the  snow 
walls. 

An  exciting  scene  occurred  while  the  igloo  wall  was  being 
erected.  Koojesse  and  Sharkey  were  at  work  on  tlic  building, 
while  Henry  and  I  removed  every  thing  from  the  sledge.  We 
being  at  some  little  distance,  the  dogs  suddenly  sprung  in  a  pack 
upon  the  sledge,  and  eacli  snatched  a  piece  of  the  meat  and  blub- 
ber still  remaining  upon  it.  With  a  club  in  my  hand  and  a  seal- 
spear  in  Henry's,  w^c  belabored  them  lustily,  but  they  were  so 
hungry  that  it  really  seemed  as  if  they  cared  nothing  for  blows. 
As  a  piece  of  meat  was  rescued  from  the  jaws  of  one,  another, 
and  perhaps  two  others,  as  quickly  had  it.  Blow  followed  blow  ; 
dogs  flew  this  way  and  that,  all  acting  like  devils,  determined  to 
conquer  or  die  in  their  devouring  work.  It  was  quite  five  min- 
utes before  the  battle  was  through,  and  not  then  till  Koojesse 


512 


ARCTIC  UESKARCn  EXPEDITION. 


WK  MUST  COSQUUl  oil   STAliVK. 


leaped  the  walls  of  tlic  igloo  and  came  to  our  assistance.  During 
tills  vieleo,  Ilenrj  unfortunatf^ly  broke  the  ^vood  portion  of  Koo- 
Jesse's  oo-nar  (seal-spear),  and  this  enraged  the  Iiniuit  to  a  degree 
not  easily  to  be  described,  for  no  instrument  is  constructed  by  the 
natives  with  more  care  than  this. 

The  following  day,  April  17th,  I  made  an  exploring  trip  up 
Beauty  Bay,  and  on  my  return  found  that  our  igloo  had  fallen  in. 
The  sun  was  now  becoming  so  powei'ful  that  the  upper  tier  of 
the  snow  wall  melted,  and  brought  down  the  top  and  poles  npon 
the  two  women  who  were  within,  and  were  consequently  over- 
whelmed in  the  ruins. 

Next  morning,  April  18th,  at  9  A.M.,  wc  again  started, taking 
a  course  direct  for  Gabriel's  Island  of  Frobi.sher,  in  the  main  bay. 
called  by  the  Innuits  Ki-ld-tulc-ju-a.  Our  progress  was  slow,  ow- 
ing to  the  heavy  load  and  the  poor  condition  of  the  dogs;  and  at 
noon,  symptoms  of  a  gale  coming  on,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to 
make  for  shelter.  Before  we  could  obtain  it,  the  gale  had  burst 
upon  us,  fdling  the  air  with  the  "  white  dust"  of  the  country. 
Presently  we  saw  an  Innuit  in  the  distance  approaching,  and,  aft- 


SAD  DEATH  OF  TWEKOONG.  513 

er  wiudiiig  in  and  out  among  numerous  small  islands,  we  met 
him.  It  proved  to  be  Ninguarping,  son  of  Kokcrjabin,  out  seal- 
hunting.  He  said  there  were  other  Innuits  not  far  off,  among 
them  Miner  and  Kooperneung,  with  their  families,  and  we  quick- 
ly made  toward  them.  I  was  glad  t  learn  that  these  Innuits 
were  so  near;  for  I  thought  I  would  o  my  dogs  and  sledge, 
and  run  up  from  my  next  encampmeii  to  see  my  good  friend 
Tweroong.  I  should  have  been  sadly  disappointed  had  I  done 
so,  as  will  soon  appear.  Ninguarping  then  accompanied  us  to 
the  spot  selv_;eted  for  our  encampment,  and  assisted  in  building  an 
igloo.  Soon  a  sledge  of  Innuits,  with  a  team  of  fourteen  dogs, 
came  bounding  wildly  toward  us.  They  were  quickly  alongside, 
proving  to  be  our  friends  "Jack"  and  "  Bill,"  on  their  way  to  an 
island  not  far  off  for  a  load  of  walrus  beef  which  was  deposited 
there.  They  invited  us  to  go  to  their  village.  This  we  did,  aban- 
doning our  half-completed  igloo. 

We  arrived  about  4  P.M.,  and  found  a  village  of  five  igloos,  all 
inhabited  by  Innuit  families,  composed  of  my  old  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. Old  Too-loo-lca-ah  was  one  of  the  first  whom  I  saw, 
and  he  invited  mc  to  his  capacious  igloo,  where  his  wife,Koo-muk, 
quickly  gave  me  water  to  drink  and  food  to  cat,  the  latter  being 
portions  of  frozen  walrus  entrails.  To  say  that  I  enjoyed  this 
food  would  only  be  to  repeat  what  I  have  said  before,  though,  no 
doubt,  many  will  feel  surprised  at  my  being  able  to  eat,  as  I  so 
frequently  did,  raw  meat,  contents  of  tuktoo  paunch,  entrails  of 
seals  and  walrus,  whale  skin  and  krang,  besides  drinking  train-oil 
and  blood. 

In  the  previous  December,  when  on  m}'  trip  to  Jones's  Cape 
after  skins,  I  saw  Toolookaah  and  his  wife,  and  was  both  sur- 
prised and  gratified  to  learn  that  she  had  an  infant;  it  was  a  girl 
of  only  two  weeks,  and  had  been  named  Ek-lcer-hon.  Toolooka- 
ah was  at  this  time,  as  I  thought,  sixty  years  old,  and  his  wife 
not  less  than  fifty-five  yeara.  When  I  now  saw  the  parents  again 
on  this  journey  of  which  I  am  writing,  I  inquired  for  the  child, 
and  received  the  mournfully  sad  reply,  ^^Tuk-a-ivoke,^^  meaning  it 
is  dead. 

I  should  add  to  this  record  the  news  I  received  at  the  same 
time  of  the  death  of  my  never-to-be-forgotten  friend  Tweroong. 
Oo-soo-kar-lo,  son  of  old  Petato,  told  mc  that  she  had  died  several 
weeks  before.  Some  days  later  I  obtained  the  details  of  her 
death,  and  they  were  truly  heart-rending.     When  her  husband, 

K  K 


514  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXrEDITION. 

"Miner,"  and  her  son,  "Charley,"  removed  from  Oopungncwing 
a  few  weeks  before  this  time,  Twcroong  was  unable  to  walk,  and 
had  to  be  carried  on  a  sledge.  After  going  a  few  miles  up  Fro- 
bisher  Bay,  an  igloo  was  built  for  her,  when  she  was  placed  m  it. 
without  any  food,  and  with  no  means  of  making  a  fire-light,  and 
then  abandoned  to  die  alone.  A  few  days  after  some  Innuits 
visited  the  igloo  and  found  her  dead. 

The  next  day,  Ai)ril  li)tli,  in  the  afternoon,  T  received  an  invi- 
tation from  old  Petato  to  come  into  her  igloo  and  partake  of  a 
seal-feast.  Taking  Henry  Smith  along  with  me,  I  accompanied 
Oosookarlo  to  the  place  indicated.  Wo  found  Petato  seated  on 
her  dais,  with  an  immense  stone  pot  hanging  over  the  full  blazing 
ikkumer;  the  pot  was  filled  with  .smoking-hot  seal  and  seal  soup; 
Sharkey,  Kopeo,  his  wife  and  infant,  and  several  young  Innuits, 
were  there,  awaiting  the  "good  time  coming."  Petato,  the  pre- 
siding genius,  took  out  a  piece  of  the  seal  with  her  hands  and 
gave  it  to  me,  doing  the  same  by  the  others.  Before  I  had  hall' 
finished  mine,  the  old  lady  handed  me  another  and  a  larger  piece; 
but,  without  difficulty,  I  did  ample  justice  to  all  of  it.  Henry  de- 
clared he  never  partook  of  a  meal  he  relished  more.  The  second 
course  was  seal  soup,  of  which  Petato  gave  me  a  huge  bowl  full ; 
this  is  the  nectar  of  a  seal-feast.  After  I  was  supplied,  another 
bowl,  of  a  capacity  equivalent  to  four  quarts,  was  placed  on  the 
floor  for  the  dog  to  wash  with  his  pliant  tongue;  when  he  had 
lapped  it  clean,  outside  as  well  as  within,  it  was  filled  with  the 
luscious  soup,  which  the  Innuits  at  once  disposed  of,  taking  turns 
at  the  bowl. 

Later  in  the  evening,  as  I  was  seated  in  my  own  igloo  sur- 
rounded by  iny  company,  I  heard  a  loud  Innnit  shout  just  out- 
side. As  quick  as  thought,  Koojesse,  Sharkey,  Tunukderlien,  and 
Jennie  sprang  for  the  long  knives  lying  around,  and  hid  them 
wherever  they  could  find  places.  My  first  thought  was  that  a 
company  of  warlike  Innuits  were  upon  us,  and  I  asked  Koojesse 
the  meaning  of  all  this.  He  replied,  "Angeko!  angcko!"  Im- 
mediately there  came  Crawling  into  the  low  entrance  to  the  igloo 
an  Innuit  with  long  hair  completely  covering  his  face  and  eyes. 
He  remained  on  his  knees  on  the  floor  of  the  igloo,  feeling  round 
like  a  blind  man  at  each  side  of  the  entrance,  back  of  the  fire- 
light, the  place  where  meat  is  usually  kept,  and  where  knives 
ma}'  generally  be  found.  Not  finding  any,  the  angeko  slowly 
withdrew.     I  asked  Koojesse  what  would  have  been  the  conse- 


LIVING  ON  DOG  FOOD.  515 

qucnce  if  the  nngcko  liad  found  a  knifo;  he  replied  that  he — the 
augcko — would  have  stabbed  hiniseli'  in  the  breast. 

On  April  22d  wo  broke  up  our  cncanipiucnt,  all  the  Innuits, 
with  the  exception  of  Toolookaah's  family,  being  about  removing 
up  Frobishcr  Bay.  Two  families,  including  Potato,  Kopco,  Oo- 
Hookarlo,  with  the  wives  and  children  of  the  two  men,  were  to 
go  with  mc  one  day's  journey  at  least.  Old  Toolookaah,  who 
was  to  remain  behind,  woie  a  sorrowful  face  on  account  of  my 
dciDarturc.  I  find  in  my  diary  the  following  record:  "This  no- 
ble, frccdicarted  Innuit  loves  me,  I  do  believe ;  I  know  that  I  love 
him.  AVe  have  now  been  acquainted  more  than  a  year;  have 
voyaged  together,  have  shared  perils  of  storms  and  the  glory  of 
sunshine,  have  feasted  together,  slept  beneath  the  same  tuple, 
have  been,  as  it  were,  father  and  son.  Successful  be  his  sealing, 
his  tuktoo  hunts,  and  his  conflicts  with  the  polar  bear — the  lion 
of  the  North  ;  and,  at  last,  peace  and  glory  to  his  noble  soul. 
When  all  were  ready  for  a  start  this  morning,  this  old  Innuit  ac- 
companied mc  from  the  island  some  distance  on  the  ice.  At  last 
we  locked  hands,  and,  with  prolonged  "  terbouetics,"  tears  start- 
ing in  his  eyes  and  rolling  down  his  iron-ribbed  face,  we  parted, 
probably  never  to  meet  again  on  earth." 

Throughout  our  day's  journey  there  was  a  continuous  gale, 
with  snow-drift  closing  all  from  our  view ;  but  wo  finally  reached 
our  next  cncampmon.:,  on  a  small  island  above  Kikitukjua,  at 
4  30  P.M.,  having  gone  neaily  nine  miles. 

The  following  day  we  parted  with  Potato  and  my  other  Innuit 
friends,  and  proceeded  some  live  or  six  miles  direct  toward  Kin- 
gaitc  coast,  making  our  ninth  enoampmont*  on  the  main  ice  clear 
of  land. 

We  were  obliged  to  remain  here  encamped  for  ten  days,  the 
desperate  struggle  being  to  get  enough  to  sustain  life.  My  hunt- 
ers and  scalers,  Sharkey  and  Koojesse,  went  down  every  fliir  day 
a  distance  of  five  miles  to  the  open  water,  where  were  white 
whales,  seals,  and  ducks  in  abundance,  but  they  were  then  all  so 
shy  that  it  was  impossible  to  api)roach  them  within  killing  dis- 
tance. That  they  might  be  successful  was  our  enrnest  wish,  for 
we  were  living  mostly  on  dog  food — Tcoio — that  is,  walrus  hide 
with  hair  on.  Besides,  we  had  no  oil  for  the  lamp,  and  without 
the  lamp  we  were  unable  to  obtain  fresh  water. 

*  The  ninth  encampment  was  in  Int.  (52°  .')!'  N.,  long.  G6°  40'  W.,  due  east  of 
Gabriel's  Island,  and  niidwav  of  it  and  Kiugaiie  coast.    (Sec  Chart.) 


616  ARCTIC  HESKAHCII  KXI'ICDITIUX. 

One  day  tlicy  came  borne  successful,  liaviug  cauglit  a  seal,  the 
first  of  the  season,  and  no  happier  beings  could  exist  than  we  were 
for  the  time  at  the  feast  of  raw  seal  that  followed.  In  the  even- 
ing of  the  next  day,  April  28th,  Koojessc  and  Sharkey  drove  up 
with  two  seals,  one  of  about  20U  pounds'  weight,  and  the  other 
weighing  100  pounds.  This  was  success  indeed,  and  it  enabled 
them  to  feed  the  dogs  as  well  as  ourselves.  By  this  time  the 
weather  had  become  so  warm  that  we  could  not  keep  our  igloo 
dry,  and  it  was  resolved  to  erect  a  tunic  or  tent.  This  fmislicd, 
we  moved  into  it;  and  ii  few  minutes  after  we  had  vacated  our 
old  home,  down  fell  the  igloo  a  mass  of  ruins. 

On  May  1st,  18(52, 1  stalled  from  this  encampment  on  a  trip  to 
Kingaite  coast.  While  Henry  was  engaged  harnessing  U[)  tlio 
dogs,  I  put  together  my  instruments,  a  little  bag  of  roek  pemnii- 
can,  and  some  Borden  meat-biscuit,  of  which  I  had  saved  merelv 
a  trille  for  use  on  excursions  of  this  kind.  Sharkey,  with  sledge 
and  dogs,  was  ready,  and,  after  a  good  hot  breakfast,  we  started, 
at  7  -10  A.M.,  for  the  point  I  had  selected — near  the  rresident's 
Seat — viz.,  that  where  an  ascent  could  j)robably  be  made  of  the 
glacier  which  I  had  seen  on  my  voyage  up  the  bay  the  iirevious 
fall. 

My  course  across  the  bay  to  Kingaite  coast  was  south  4°  east. 
true.  The  number  of  dogs  in  the  team  was  ten,  but,  as  they  were 
in  poor  condition,  wo  made  but  three  and  a  half  to  four  and  a  half 
miles  per  hour.  In  crossing  the  bay  we  found  abundance  of  huni- 
mocky  ice,  and  the  snow-wreaths  were  numerous,  abrupt,  and 
high.  A  few  minutes  before  noon  we  drew  into  a  small  bay  that 
extended  on  toward  the  jioint  I  sought  to  reach.  With  great  so- 
licitude, I  watched  that  part  of  the  heavens  in  which  the  sun  was. 
but,  to  my  deep  regret,  the  thick  clouds  were  as  a  veil  between 
my  C3'es  and  it.  I  had  my  instruments  in  readiness  in  ease  the 
sun  should  show  itself  for  a  few  moments.  If  I  could  have  got 
two  solar  observations,  keeping  correct  account  of  the  time  elaps- 
ing between,  by  which  to  obtain  accurately  the  "  hour  angle,"  i 
.should  have  done  so,  for  thus  T  could  have  determined  my  actual 
latitude;  but  the  clouds  were  too  thick  for  the  sun's  rays  to  pen- 
etrate them.  I  kept,  however,  a  careful  account  of  my  course 
and  of  the  distance  made,  by  which  I  determined  the  latitude  of 
Kingaite  coast  where  I  struck  it. 

As  the  dogs  turned  up  the  narrow  bay  leading  to  the  jioint  of 
land  we  were  making,  I  was  delighted  to  see  the  face  of  an  abut- 


VISIT  TO  GUINNKLL  GLACIEll.  519 

ting  glacier,  which  fully  proved  the  truth  of  my  anticipations  that 
*  there  were  iceberg  discliarges  on  Kingaito  side.  At  noon  our 
progress  was  arrested  by  the  glacier,  which  seemed  to  smile  a  de- 
fiance— "  thus  far,  and  no  farther." 

Here,  by  this  crystal  wall,  I  stood,  i.i  admiration  and  awe  be- 
holding its  beauty  and  grandeur.  My  Innuit  companion  seemed 
satisfied  and  gratified  in  witnessing  the  cfl'ect  it  had  upon  me..  I 
turned  and  took  a  look  seaward.  A  few  degrees  of  opening  be- 
tween the' points  of  land  leading  into  the  harbor  in  which  we  were 
gave  a  view  bounded  only  by  the  sea  horizon.  My  quickened 
thoughts  almost  made  mo  exclaim,  "Tell  us,  time-aged  crystal 
mount,  have  you  locked  in  your  mirror  chambers  any  images  of 
white  man's  ships,  that  sailed  up  these  waters  near  three  centuries 
ago?"  This  train  of  funey-painting  was  soon  dissipated  by  the 
substantial  reality  of  a  lunch  on  cold  rock  pemmican  and  gold- 
dust  (Borden's  pulverized  meat-biscuit),  washed  down  with  chips 
from  the  glacier,  after  which  we  were  prepared  for  an  attempt 
to  scale  the  ice-mountain.  This  could  be  done  only  by  ascend- 
ing one  of  the  rock  ridges. flanking  the  abutting  arm  of  the  glacier, 
and  thence  striking  up  its  steep  side. 

For  the  first  quarter  of  a  mile  it  was  very  abrupt,  and  difficult 
to  climb.  The  most  laborious  and  dangerous  part  of  the  ascent 
was  accomplished  by  following  the  footsteps  of  a  polar  bear.  My 
"  illustrious  predecessor"  had  evidently  ascended  the  glacier  some 
time  previous,  just  after  a  fresh  full  of  snow,  impacting  it  by  his 
great  weight  into  such  hard  steps  that  the  gales  had  no  effect  in 
destroying  them.  These  polar-bear  steps  made  it  feasible  for  us 
to  ascend  where  wc  did.  After  the  first  quarter  of  a  mile  the  in- 
clination of  the  glacier  was  gradual,  then  for  a  quarter  oi  mile 
fartlier  it  became  greater,  but  it  did  not  so  continue.  Eacli  ide 
of  this  arm  of  the  glacier  was  walled  in  by  mountains,  the  east 
side  by  the  group  I  called  the  President's  Seat. 

On  making  two  miles — S.  1G°  E.,  true — we  arrived  where  the 
glacier  opens  to  a  sea  of  ice.  At  this  time  and  point  the  gla- 
cier was  covered  with  snow,  witli  a  cropping  out  here  and  there 
of  the  clear  crystal  blue  ice,  giving  relief  to  the  view  of  an  appar- 
ently illimitable  sea  of  white  around.  My  Innuit  companion,  be- 
ing well  experienced  in  all  the  coast  from  Karmowong,  a  place 
on  the  north  side  of  Hudson's  Straits,  to  Resolution  Islau'i  and 
all  about  Frobishcr  Bay,  said  that  this  great  glacier  extended  far, 
far  below  where  we  then  were,  and  also  continued  on  northwest 


520  AllCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

a  great  way,  reaching  over  also  nearly  to  Hudson's  Straits,  From 
the  information  I  bad  previously  gained,  and  the  data  furnished ' 
me  by  my  Innuit  companion,  I  estimated  the  Grinnell  glacier  to 
be  luily  100  miles  long.  At  various  points  on  the  north  side  of 
Frobisher  Bay,  between  Bear  Sound  and  the  Countess  of  War- 
wick's Sound,  I  made  obsevvatioiis  by  sextant,  by  which  I  determ- 
ined that  over  fifty  miles  of  the  glacier  was  iv  view  from  and 
southeast  of  the  President's  Seat.  A  few  miles  above  that  point 
the  glacier  recedes  from  the  coast,  and  is  lost  to  view  by  the  Ev- 
erett chain*  of  mountains ;  and,  as  Sharkey  said,  the  ou-u-e-ioo 
(ice  that  never  melts)  extends^on  wes-se-too-ad-loo  (for,  very  far  off). 
He  added  that  there  were  places  along  the  coast  below  what  I 
called  the  President's  Seat  where  this  great  glacier  discharges  it- 
self into  the  sea,  some  of  it  large  iccbei'gs. 

From  the  sea  of  ice  down  to  the  point  where  the  abutting  gla- 
cier arrested  my  advance  with  sledge  and  dogs,  the  iee-ri\er  or 
arm  of  the  glacier  was  quite  uniform  in  its  rounding  up,  present- 
ing the  appearance — though  in  a  frozen  state — of  a  rniglity  rush- 
ing torrent.  The  height  of  the  discharging  face  of  the  glacier 
was  100  feet  above  the  sea. 

Without  doubt,  the  best  time  of  the  year  to  travel  over  glacier 
mountains  is  just  before  the  snows  have  begun  to  melt.  The 
winter  snows  are  then  well  impacted  on  the  glacier  surfoce,  and 
all  the  dangerous  cracks  and  water-ditches  are  filled  up.  Storms 
and  gales  do  good  work  with  snow-flakes  once  within  their  fin- 
gers. Grinnell  Glacier,f  *a  limited  portion  of  which  was  visited, 
would,  in  three  and  a  half  or  four  months'  time,  present  quite  a 
diflerent  appearance.  Now  it  was  robed  in  white ;  then,  below 
the  line  of  eternal  snow,  it  would  be  naked,  clear,  bright,  flashing- 
cerulean  blue  meeting  the  eye  of  the  observer.  This  contrast  1 
have  seen.  When  on  my  boat-voyage  up  the  bay  in  the  previ- 
ous fall,  this  great  glacier  of  Kingaite  heaved  heavenward  its 
hoary  head,  supported  by  a  body  of  crystal  blue:  on  my  return 
the  same  was  covered  with  its  winter  dress.  Before  the  cold 
weather  sets  in,  all  the  crevices  in  the  glacier  are  charged  with  wa- 
ter, which,  congealing,  is  caused  to  expand ;  and  the  ice  explodes 
with  a  sound  like  loud  thunder,  rending  the  mountains  and  shoot- 
ing off  icebergs  and  smaller  fragments  at  the  various  points  where 
the  glacier  has  its  arms  reaching  down  to  the  sea. 

*  Nnnied  after  Eilwnril  Everett.     For  location  of  "Everett  Chain,"  sec  Clinrt. 
+  Tliis  great  glacier  I  named  ^'^lox  Henry  Grinnell.     Its  height,  in  the  vicinity  of 
President's  Seat,  is  3500  feet. 


DANGEROUS  TRAVELING. 


521 


After  some  time  spent  on  the  glacier,  of  which  my  view  was 
not  so  extensive  or  protracted  as  it  would  have  been  but  for  the 
clouds  that  capped  the  heights  where  we  were,  my  companion  and 
myself  returned  to  the  sledge.  I  then  walked  to  the  shore  and 
obtained  a  few  geological  specimens,  and  we  started  on  our  way 
back  to  the  ninth  encampment.  Two  or  three  miles  from  the 
glacier  we  came  to  a  small  island.  I  took  several  bearings  of 
distant  objects  and  sextant  angles  for  elevation  of  the  mountain 
heights;  but  the  wind  began  to  freshen  almost  to  a  gale,  and 
caused  considerable  risk  in  crossing  the  bay.  There  was  a  prob- 
ability of  the  floe  cracking  off'  and  drifting  us  to  seaward;  the 
open  water  was  within  a  mile  of  our  course,  and  the  floe,  giving 
way,  would  have  been  swept  rapidly  to  the  southeast,  ^[y  driver 
was  constantly  urging  the  dogs  to  their  greatest  speed  while  mak- 
ing passage  over  the  most  dangerous  part  of  the  way.  Fortu- 
nately no  mishap  occurred,  and  we  arrived  at  the  tuple  in  the 
eveninrr. 


MY  8LED0E-LUU,  LINK  A^D  UEEL. 


522  AKCTIC  UESEAUCll  EXrKDlTION. 


CHAPTRE  XXXIV. 

Inniiit  Food. — Pictiire  of  iiDinncv-party. — Rubbit-charminf;, — Proposed  flyiiifiTiip. 
— Freaks  of  Jennie.  —  Iler  Foot-race  after  tlie  Sledge.  —  Feminine  Coquetry. — 
Sharkey's  Despair. — Ciiange  of  Plans. — Koojcssc'.s  Ugliness — Final  Adjustment 
of  Plan. — Departure  on  flying  Trij). — An  Ujiset. — Wolves. — Cliase  of  u  Bear  and 
Cub. — Capture  of  the  latter. — Night  Traveling. — lleturn  to  Place  of  Starting. — 
Set  out  for  the  Ship. — Arrive  on  Board. 

Ox  leaving  our  ninth  encampment  on  Saturday,  iNLay  3d,  1862. 
wc  proceeded  toward  some  islands  nearly  due  east  of  us,  and,  alt- 
er a  journey  often  miles,  came  to  M'Lean  Island,*  where  we  found 
two  igloos  occupied  by  the  Innuits  Koo-kin  and  "Bill,"  with 
their  families.  Wo  were  luxspitably  received,  and  made  our  tenth 
encampmeiitf  there. 

I  was  now  living  wholly  on  Innuit  food,  to  which  I  had  be- 
come so  accustomed  as  to  eat  it  without  difliculty.  Were  I  to 
mention  in  detail  what  took  place,  and  what  was  eaten  at  our 
meals,  it  would  doubtless  appear  disgusting  to  most  of  my  read- 
ers;  but  there  is  no  alternative  in  the  matter  of  eating  with  In- 
nuits. One  has  to  make  up  his  mind,  if  he  would  live  among 
that  people,  to  submit  to  their  customs,  and  to  be  entirely  one  of 
them.  AVhen  a  white  man  for  the  first  time  enters  one  of  their 
tuples  or  igloos,  he  is  nau,><eated  with  every  thing  he  sees  and 
smells — even  di.^gusted  with  the  looks  of  the  innocent  natives 
who  extend  to  him  the  best  liosj)itality  their  means  alVord.  Take, 
for  instance,  the  igloo  in  which  I  had  an  excellent  dinner  on  the 
day  last  mentioned.  Any  one  from  the  States,  if  entering  this 
igloo  with  me,  would  sec  a  company  of  what  he  would  call  a  dirty 
set  of  human  being.s,  mixed  up  among  ma-^ises  of  na.sty,  uneatable 
flesh,  skins,  blood,  and  bones,  scattered  all  about  the  igloo.  lie 
would  see,  hanging  over  a  long,  low  flame,  the  oo-lvo-sui  (stone  ket- 
tle), black  with  .soot  and  oil  of  great  age,  and  lilh^u  to  its  utmost 
capacity  with  black  meat,  swiminiiig  in  a  thick,  dark,  smoking 

*  Named  after  the  late  Judge  Jolm  M'Loan.  It  is  an  island  in  the  midst  of  Fro- 
bishcr  Bay,  ticar  to  and  due  west  of  (iahrid's  Island. 

t  Our  tenth  ctK'aiii|iinent  was  near  the  soutlieru  extreme  of  M'Lcan  island,  and 
was  in  laf.  (Jl'°  i>->.'  N.,  long.  WP  26'  W. 


CIIAKMING  RABBITS. 


02^ 


fluid,  as  if  made  b}'  boiling  down  the  dirty  scrapings  of  a  butch- 
er's stall.  lie  would  see  men,  women,  and  childreu — my  humble 
self  included — engaged  in  devouring  the  contents  of  that  kettle, 
and  he  would  pity  the  human  beings  who  could  be  reduced  to 
such  necessity  as  to  eat  the  horrid  stuff.  The  dishes  out  of  which 
the  soup  is  taken-  would  turn  his  stomach,  especially  when  he 
should  see  dogs  wash  them  out  with  their  long  ])liant  tongues 
previous  to  our  using  them.     But  I  will  not  multiply  particulars. 

Sliarkey  this  day  saw  a  rabbit  when  out  on  the  island  hunting 
partridges,  but  could  not  get  a  shot  at  it.  If  "Jennie,"  or  any 
other  female  songster,  had  been  with  him,  he  would  probably 
have  secured  it.  Innuits,  when  they  go  after  rabbits,  generally 
have  such  a  vocalist  with  them.  While  she  sings  ^'  channiDnh' '' 
the  sportsman  is  enabled  to  have  a  ftiir  shot.  The  rabbit  deligiits 
in  listening  to  the  music  of  a  female  Innuit  voice,  and  will  stop, 
sit  up,  and  be  shot  under  its  charms. 

Tiio  scarcity  of  provisions,  combined  with  the  troubles  I  en- 
countered with  the  evil-disposed  Innuits,  Koojessc  and  Jennie, 
had  been  so  great,  that  I  had  determined  to  abandon  my  journey 
farther  up  tlie  bay,  and  return  at  once  to  the  Countess  of  War- 
wick's Sound;  but  we  now  found  ourselves  so  abundantly  sup- 
plied that  I  concluded  to  take  Sharkey,  and,  leaving  the  rest  of 
my  company  at  the  place  of  the  tenth  encamj)ment,  to  make  a 
flying  trip  up  the  bay  with  sledge  and  dogs.  Sharkey  at  first 
cheerfully  assented  to  my  jtropositicMi,  but  on  May  Gth  he  signi- 
fied to  me  his  desire  to  take  Jennie  with  him.  I  declined  to  ac- 
cede to  this  request,  and  he  acquiesced  in  my  decision,  but  Jennie 
flew  into  a  rage.  She  [lut  on  her  kodlins  and  dodged  out  of  the 
igloo,  attempting  to  run  away;  Sharkey  darted  after  her,  and  in 
about  an  hour  tiiey  returned,  on  apparently  amicable  terms. 

The  next  morning,  May  7th,  I  went  on  with  my  })reparations 
for  departure;  the  movements  of  Jennie  showed  j)lainly  that  she 
intended  to  go.  W^hen  the  sledge  was  nearly  loaded,  I  went  to 
Koojessc  and  asked  him  if  Jennie  was  really  going  with  us;  he 
answered  aflirmatively,  and  I  tlierefore  called  Sliarkey  into  the 
igloo  and  talked  with  him.  He  acted  nobly,  telling  Jennie  that 
slie  must  remain  with  Koojessc  and  Tunukderlien  till  our  return. 
He  had  previously  bound  her  jacket  and  tuktoo  bed  upon  the 
sledge,  but  at  once  threw  them  ofi',  though  I  could  see  that  he  had 
a  mountain  of  trouble  within.     After  nuich  delay  we  started. 

When  we  were  out  on  the  sea-ice  we  kept  a  sharp  watch  of 


52-lr  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Jennie's  movements.  She  was  out  on  tlic  rocks,  witli  lier  head 
turned  to  a  blulf,  and  bellowing  like  an  angeko  while  engaged  in 
some  of  his  ineautations.  In  about  half  an  hour  she  was  discov- 
ered following  us ;  Sharkey  closely  examined  her  movements 
through  the  glass,  and  declared  that  she  was  indeed  after  us,  and 
that  she  would  travel  all  day  and  all  night  till  she  reached  us. 
I  at  once  decided  to  await  her  coming  up,  for  my  heart  was  moved 
for  the  poor  fellow,  who  so  fondly  loved  her,  though  she  was  un- 
woi'tliy  of  his  aflection. 

Wlieu  we  paused  for  her  to  come  up,  Sharkey  took  the  water- 
bag  and  the  tin  cup,  and  set  out  for  an  island  at  our  left,  distant  a 
quarter  of  a  mile,  for  water.  His  course  was  taken  so  that  he  in- 
tercepted Jeiniie  when  he  was  returning  with  his  water  to  the 
sledge.  She,  however,  paid  no  attention  to  him,  but  kept  on,  turn- 
ing neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left.  Sharkey  called  to 
her,  but  she  turned  not,  still  continuing  her  rapid  gait,  and  proud- 
ly striking  into  her  open  hand  a  loose  mitten  she  carried  in  the 
other.  Sharkey  quickened  his  pace  to  catch  uj)  with  her,  repeat- 
edly calling  to  her,  but  she  walked  stoically  on.  At  length  he 
overtook  her,  and  tried  to  arrest  her  in  her  course.  She  threw 
him  aside  as  if  he  were  a  viper,  and  walked  on.  Then  Sharkey 
once  more  approached,  and  threw  his  arm  around  her  caressingly. 
Slie  gave  no  heed.  Finall}',  in  despair,  he  gave  up,  stooped  down, 
buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  poured  out  his  weeping  soul  in 
a  flood  of  tears.  Then,  rising  up,  he  swung  his  arms  about,  and 
gave  vent  to  his  feelings  in  loud  and  broken  cries,  returning  to 
the  sledge,  while  the  stubborn  idol  of  his  alleetions,  with  ajtparent 
indinerenee,  pursued  her  way. 

I  addressed  him  sympathizingly,  my  heart  overflowing  with 
love  for  my  wounded  friend,  lie  pointed  to  his  wife,  who  still 
trudged  on,  crying  "Jennie!  Jennie!''  putting  his  hand  on  his 
heart  and  weeping.  Under  the  cireunistanees,  1  decided  to  return 
to  our  encampment.  As  soon  as  wo  reached  it,  Sharkey  started 
out  with  the  dog.s,  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  sealing.  I  knew, 
however,  tliat  his  pur])ose  was  to  go  in  ))ursuit  of  his  wife.  Some 
hours  later  he  returned  with  Jennie,  both  apparently  contented. 

I  now  at  first  thought  I  might  as  well  give  up  this  trip,  and 
commence  my  return  down  the  bay.  Then  I  determined  to  U\kc 
Henry  as  my  dog-driver,  and  proceed  to  cxjdore  the  bay  alluded 
to  on  page  383,  some  fifty  miles  to  the  N. W.  by  W.  of  our  tenth 
encampment.    I  had  before  believed  that  Koojesse  was  at  the  bot- 


A.  H.  WARD'S  INLET.  525 

torn  of  Jennie's  evil  actions,  and  I  now  became  thoroughly  con- 
vinced of  the  fact;  for,  vrhen  he  heard  of  my  latest  plan,  he  seem- 
ed determined  to  put  as  many  blocks  in  my  way  as  possible,  lie 
consented,  for  a  consideration,  to  let  mc  have  the  use  of  his  dogs, 
but  refused  to  allow  me  to  take  my  own  tupic.  Then  I  hinted  at 
returning  at  once  to  the  ship ;  but  this  did  not  suit  him ;  he  want- 
ed to  stop  where  we  were  several  days;  and  he  declared  that,  if 
be  was  compelled  to  start  the  next  day,  the  distance  made  would 
be  "smallcy."  At  last  I  offered  him  my  rifle,  which  he  wanted 
very  much,  if  he  would  accompany  me  and  do  as  he  should  on 
the  trip  I  wished  to  make.  His  whole  conduct  changed  immedi- 
ately from  that  of  a  bitter  enemy  to  that  of  a  cheerful  friend.  The 
arrangement  was  made  that  Koojesse  and  Sharkey  were  to  go, 
while  Jennie  and  Tunukderlien  were  to  remain  with  Ilcnry,  the 
Tnnuits  Kookin  and  "  Bill"  having  agreed  with  me  to  supply  them 
with  food.  Afy  conviction  that  Koojesse  was  the  instigator  of 
Jennie's  freaks  prior  to  this  received  confirmation  from  the  per- 
fect acquiescence  of  the  wo^an  in  this  plan  after  hearing  a  few 
words  from  him. 

So,  after  much  trouble,  with  Koojesse  and  Sharkey  as  my  com- 
panions for  the  trip,  I  again  started  at  9  A.M.  of  the  8th  of  May. 
Our  progress  on  the  firm  ice  was  fair,  our  course  northerly  and 
westerly.  In  and  out  among  numerous  islands,  and  with  a  few 
stoppages  to  take  bearings  and  make  observations,  we  passed  on 
for  several  miles,  seeing  places  on  the  main  land  familiar  to  me, 
and  finally,  after  twelve  hours'  travel,  making  a  distance  of  twenty- 
three  miles,  encamped  on  Field's  Island,*  at  the  entrance  of  Wad- 
dell  Bay.  The  following  day,  May  9th,  we  were  at  the  entrance 
to  the  ba}-^ — A.  II.  Ward's  Inlet,t  as  I  named  it — which  I  had  so 
long  desired  to  explore ;  but,  on  the  next,  owing  to  bad  weather 
and  soft  snow,  we  could  proceed  only  a  short  distance.  On  the 
11th,  however,  we  made  rapid  progress,  passing  on  the  cast  side 
of  a  long  island,  the  scenery  magnificent,  and,  going  through  a 
place  where  the  mountains  almost  meet,  and  which  I  call  "The 
Narrows,"  finally  arriving  at  the  head  of  this  truly  romantic  and 
beautiful  inlet  at  about  2  P.M. 

Just  before  passing  up  through  the  Narrows,  wc  saw  that  the 
ice  ahead  was  completely  riddled  with  seal-holes,  and  that  seals 
iu  immense  numbers  were  lying  by  them  basking.    Sharkey  laid 

*  Named  after  Dudley  Field,  of  New  York  City. 

t  Named  after  Aukusius  Il.Wiivd,  of  New  York  City. 


526 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


TKIUIINATIDN    OK    WAUDS    IM.KT— TUB   NAKROW8    AM)   ANN    MAlilA    I'uUT. 


himself  down,  and  proceeded  witli  bis  gun  to  make  the  usual  In- 
nuit  approaches,  as  already  described,  toward  a  place  where  some 
seals  were  close  together.  At  last  be  shot  one,  having  been  one 
hour  and  twenty-five  minutes  crawling  up  to  within  six  fathoms 
of  his  prey.  A  raw  and  blood-warm  seal-feast  immediately  fol- 
lowed, for  this  was  the  first  thing  secured  for  four  days.  Never 
did  I  enjoy  any  thing  with  a  better  relish. 

On  the  right  of  the  extreme  termination  there  is  a  bold  mount- 
ain, with  a  ravine  between  it  and  the  opposite  side,  which  is  grad- 
ually sloping.  The  bay  or  harbor  between  the  Narrows  and  the 
termination  of  the  inlet  is  indeed  magnificent.  After  .staying  here 
as  long  as  my  time  would  permit,  and  having  determined  that  no 
'■'■straiC  or  passage  exists  in  this  direction,  I  started  on  my  return, 
and  soon  again  arrived  at  the  Narrows.  Here  the  view  below 
was  one  of  the  most  interesting  I  had  beheld  since  arriving  North. 
From  the  Narrows,  which  is  from  one  sixth  to  one  third  of  a  mile 
wide,  to  the  termination  of  this  arm  of  Ward's  Inlet,  is  a  distance 
of  four  miles.  This  beautiful  sheet  of  water  I  have  named  Ann 
Maria  Port.'^'  As  we  made  our  way  through  the  Narrows  on  our 
return,  the  view,  on  looking  down  the  inlet,  was  truly  magnifi- 
cent. The  long  line  of  black,  jagged,  buttress-like  mountains  on 
either  side  of  the  pure  white  pathway  before  us  presented  a  scene 
that  I  shall  not  soon  forget. 

As  we  returned  down  this  inlet,  going  at  a  .slower  rate  than 

*  Nnmed  nfter  tlic  wife  of  Augustus  II.  Wnnl.     The  head  or  tcnniuutiou  is  iu  lat. 
Oa°  44'  N.,  long.  07=  48'  W.     Vide.  Clmrt. 


A  BREAK-DOWN.  527 

usual,  a  seal  was  seen  ahead.  In  an  instant  the  clogs,  which 
were  very  hungry,  bounded  ofT  at  a  rate  of  not  less  than  twelve 
miles  an  hour.  The  seal,  frightened,  made  a  plunge  down  into 
its  hole ;  the  dogs,  flying  onward  so  furiously,  passed  it,  but  the 
wind,  carrying  the  smell  of  the  seal  to  their  noses,  made  them  turn 
sharply  round  in  a  second.  The  consequence  was  that  the  sledge- 
runner  caught  in  the  snow-crust,  and  sent  me  heels  over  head 
oft"  the  sledge,  to  which  my  Innuit  companions  clung  with  all 
their  might.  The  runners  of  this  sledge  were  twelve  feet  long, 
and  the  left  one  was  split  from  stem  to  stern ;  but,  though  this 
was  a  serious  disaster,  yet  no  considerable  regret  was  manifested 
on  the  part  of  the  natives.  Koojesse  and  Sharkey  immediately 
set  to  work  with  their  scal"Sj)ears,  and  succeeded  in  mortising 
three  holes  in  the  lower  half  of  the  runner  in  the  short  space  of 
time  that  it  took  me  to  write  the  pencil  notes  recording  the  inci- 
dent. It  was  not  long  before  the  runner  was  strapped  together, 
^nd  we  were  again  on  our  way  down  on  the  western  side  of  the 
large  island  which  we  passed  in  the  morning,  I  hoping  not  to  see 
another  seal  that  day.  It  was  10  P.^[.  when  we  arrived  at  the 
south  end  of  the  Kikitukjua — Augustus  Island,  as  I  called  it — 
and  made  our  fourteenth  encampment.  We  had  traveled  forty 
miles  that  day  aftn*  leaving  the  thirteenth  encampment,  which 
was  on  a  small  islaiul  not  far  from  the  east  side  of  Augustus  Isl- 
and. "\Yo  slept  soundly,  though  our  couch  was  the  bare  rock. 
On  the  morning  of  the  12th,  when  we  awoke,  we  found  ourselves 
beneath  a  snow-drift — that  is  to  say,  some  eight  or  ten  inches  of 
snow  had  fallen  during  the  night,  giving  us  a  clean,  warm  cover- 
let. The  weather  being  unpropitious  for  traveling,  we  remained  at 
the  same  place  during  the  day.  The  following  day,  May  18th,  at 
10  A.M.,  we  resumed  our  journey,  passing  along  down  by  the  coast 
of  Becher  Peninsula,*  on  the  west  side  of  the  inlet,  directing  our 
course  toward  Mary's  Island,  the  place  of  the  twentieth  encamp- 
ment of  my  boat  expedition  the  previous  fall.  We  had  not  pro- 
ceeded far  on  our  way  when  a  smart  breeze  from  the  northwest 
sprung  up,  and  before  wc  had  made  half  the  distance  to  Mary's 
Island  it  increased  to  a  gale,  accompanied  with  pelting  drift.  I 
know  not  that  I  ever  experienced  more  disagreeable  traveling 
than  on  this  occasion.  The  snow  flew  furiously,  eddying  around 
our  heads,  and  di'opping  down  into  our  laps  as  we  sat  upon  the 

*  The  land  betwoon  Want's  Inlet  nntl  tlie  mnin  Bay  of  Froliishcr  1  thus  named 
after  Captain  A.  B.  Bcclior,  K.N.,  of  London,  England.     See  Ciiart. 


528  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

sledge  with  our  backs  to  the  gfile.  The  sun  was  out  with  tliaw- 
ing  heat,  melting  the  snows  in  our  front,  wetting  our  furs,  while 
the  temperature  at  our  backs  was  14°  below  the  freezing  mark. 
When  we  reached  the  point  at  the  west  side  of  the  entrance  to 
Ward's  Inlet  at  8  A.M.,  we  were  compelled  to  stop  and  go  into 
camp. 

My  notes,  written  \ipon  the  spot,  read,  "Stop  on  account, of 
the  driving  gale  and  drift.  Sharkey  proceeds  to  make  an  igloo. 
Koojesse  is  sick — knocked  up  completely,  while  I  am  in  perfect 
health." 

As  I  have  said,  the  sun  was  out,  notwithstanding  the  flying 
drift ;  therefore  I  proceeded  to  occupy  myself  as  usual  in  making 
observations  for  time,  and  taking  a  round  of  angles,  etc. 

I  continue  extracts  from  my  rough  and  ready  note-book  of 
same  date  (^^ay  13th) :  "  The  gale  abated  2  P.M.,  yet  snow  ilying 
thick  over  toward  Kingaite.  Thought  of  starting,  but,  desirous 
of  having  good  and  extensive  views  when  I  cross  the  Bay  of  Fro* 
bisher  to  Kingaite  side,  I  decided  to  hold  over  till  to-morrow.  It 
will  take  two  days'  good  weather  to  get  back  to  the  place  of  tenth 
encampment  —  perhaps  three.  Koojesse  and  Sharkey  gathered 
from  the  mountain's  side  a  skin  jacket  full  of  Northern  wood 
(dwarf  shrub),  with  which  we  cooked  a  soup.  The  dogs  have  no 
food.  To  supply  tliem  and  ourselves,  shall  have  to  let  the  Innu- 
its  seal  to-morrow.     Gave  Koojesse  pills  to-night;  he  is  badly  off. 

"  Wabicsda?/,  May  l-ith.  Up  at  2  A.M.  Wo  cooked  our  break- 
fast of  tuktoo  and  seal.  Used  the  straw  (dwarf  shrub)  of  oui- 
beds  for  fuel.  This  morning,  as  a  matter  of  trial  of  the  pluck  of 
my  companions,  I  proposed  to  continue  up  to  the  head  of  Frobish- 
er  Bay.  The  Innuits  expressed  a  willingness  to  go.  I  have  no 
idea  of  doing  this,  but  now  intend  to  cross  Frobisher  Bay  to-day 
from  Noo-ook-too-ad-loo,  a  small  island  close  by  llae's  Point,  di- 
rect to  Kingaite,  and  thence  j^ass  down  by  the  coast  to  near 
where  I  had  my  ninth  encampment,  and  then  recross  the  bay  to 
place  of  tenth  encampment.  The  weather  is  thick  this  morning, 
but  there  is  a  bright  streak  along  the  horizon  in  the  cast.  The 
dogs  are  very  hungry.  Last  night  they  ate  up  the  whip-lash, 
which  was  thirty  feet  long.  They  are  voracious.  I  witnessed  a 
sight  some  days  since  of  a  hungry  dog  swallowing  down  a  piece 
oi  kow  (walrus  hide  and  blubber)  one  inch  and  a  half  square  and 
six  feet  long  in  seven  seconds  I  The  act  I  timed  by  chronome- 
ter." 


CROSSING  FROBISHER  BAY.  529 

At  5  A.M.  we  left  tbe  place  of  sixteenth  cncnmpment,  directino' 
our  course  to  the  westward,  and  in  two  hours  arrived  at  the  island 
Noo-ook-too-ad-loo,  which  Sharkey  and  myself  ascended.  Ilere 
we  saw  some  partridges  and  many  rabbit  tracks.  One  of  the  for- 
mer Sharkey  shot.  While  on  this  island  I  took  a  round  of  an- 
gles, sighting  various  important  points  necessary  toward  com- 
pleting my  chart  of  the  bay.  Thence  we  departed  at  9  A.^I., 
striking  nearly  due  west  to  cross  the  Bay  of  Frobishcr.  We 
•found  the  ice  very  rough,  and  consequently  our  progress  was 
slow.  A  few  minutes  before  twelve,  meridian,  as  we  were  about 
to  enter  among  the  numerous  islands  that  lie  across  the  bay,  be- 
ginning at  "  Frobishcr's  Farthest,"  we  stopped,  when  I  proceed- 
ed to  make  observations  for  latitude,  solar  bearings,  etc.  When 
I  Ibund  my  position  was  such  that  various  capes,  promontories, 
islands,  and  inlets  that  I  had  visited  were  in  sight,  and  knowing 
I  could  then  better  determine  their  relative  geographical  posi- 
tion, I  was  delighted,  and  especially  so  when  I  had  the  President's 
Seat  dancing  and  circling  round  in  the  mirror  of  my  sextant, 
till  it  finally  rested  on  the  mountain  heights  of  Frobishcr's  Far- 
thest, on  the  exact  spot  where  I  had  made  astronomical  obser- 
vations on  the  22d  of  August,  ISGl,  the  previous  year.  Thence 
we  proceeded  among  many  islands,  and  came  to  a  channel  where 
we  found  a  space  of  open  water  abounding  in  ducks  and  oth- 
er aquatic  birds,  and  seals.  Ilcre  the  tide  was  rushing  furious- 
ly through  like  a  mill-race,  and  this  prevented  us  from  securing 
more  than  half  of  our  game,  for  as  the  ducks  and  seals  were  shot 
ihcy  were  liable  to  be  carried  rapidly  away  beneath  the  ice. 
Sharkey,  however,  shot  and  secured  one  seal  which  weighed 
about  three  hundred  pounds,  and  also  killed  several  brace  of 
ducks. 

While  the  hunters  were  engaged  at  this  work  I  took  my  in- 
struments and  went  upon  the  hill  of  an  island  to  have  a  look 
around  and  to  triangulate.  When  at  the  summit  and  quietly 
taking  a  survey,  I  heard  a  deep  tiger-like  growl.  I  listened,  and 
glanced  quickly  in  the  direction  whence  it  came.  I  saw  nothing, 
and  soon  raised  my  sextant  to  my  eye,  when  another  and  another 
growl  assailed  my  ear.  Again  I  looked  around,  but  could  see 
nothing,  though  I  concluded  it  must  bo  cither  a  polar  bear  or  a 
wolf.  Therefore,  considering  my  unarmed  state,  and  the  distance 
I  had  climbed  up  the  mount,  away  from  all  assistance,  I  thought 
the  better  part  of  valor  in  such  a  case  was  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat. 

Ll 


530  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

The  distance  to  tlie  sea-ice  was  one  mile,  and  thence  to  where  my 
companions  were,  another  mile.  I  shall  not  soon  forget  that  day's 
adventure.  I  awaited  the  fourth  growl,  and  when  that  came  I 
quickly  packed  up  instruments  and  started  on  a  run,  turning  ev- 
ery few  moments  to  see  whether  I  was  ahead.  In  my  course  was 
a  long  drift  of  snow,  and  as  I  was  making  a  rapid  transit  of  this, 
a  spot  in  it  proved  treacherously  soft,  which  gave  me  a  fall,  and 
heels  over  head  I  went  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill.  Fortunately  it 
was  the  quickest  and  most  direct  passage  I  could  make,  and,  as  it . 
happened,  no  bone  or  any  thing  else  was  broken.  When  I  ar- 
rived back  and  told  my  companions  what  I  had  heard,  they  de- 
clared I  had  had  a  narrow  escape  from  cither  hungry  wolves  or  a 
polar  bear.  It  was  -4  30  P.M.  when  we  resumed  our  way  across 
Frobisher  Bay.  Having  got  fairly  through  the  passage  between 
the  islands  on  the  ice-foot,  we  turned  southerly.  We  soon  saw 
ahead  immense  numbers  of  seals  out  on  the  ice.  They  extended 
over  a  large  area,  and  were  so  numerous  that  with  my  glass  I 
could  not  count  them. 

Just  as  we  were  turning  off  the  ice  to  an  island — J.  K.  Smith 
Island,  as  I  named  it — on  which  we  had  proposed  to  make  our 
seventeenth  encampment,  three  wolves  appeared  in  sight,  coming 
swiftly  on  our  track,  and  presently  on  came  a  fourth — all  most 


■wtr'-  repass*?:.  =^--^  ^^^ 


TUB  IICNURY   WOLVES. 


ferocious -looking  brutes.  They  were  bold,  approaching  quite 
near,  watching  our  movements,  and  now  and  tlien  opening  and 
snapping  their  teeth,  and  smacking  their  chaps,  as  if  already  feast- 
ing on  human  steaks  and  blood.  We  prepared  for  the  fray  by 
arming  with  rifle,  gun,  and  spear,  each  ready  to  defend  himself  as 
best  he  could.    Between  the  wolves  and  us  was  much  hummocky 


THE  HUNGRY  WOLVES.  631 

ice.  Behind  this  ico  we  placed  ourselves,  cnch  seeking  to  get 
a  good  shot.  Sharkey  led  in  the  attack,  leveling  his  gun  on  the 
instant  that  one  of  these  savage  foes  began  to  make  its  approach. 
The  result  was  that  the  hungry  wolf  turned  tail,  and  went  off' 
limping,  minus  a  man-supper,  his  companions  following  him. 

After  the  excitement  of  this  affair  was  partially  over,  Koojesse 
informed  me  that  he  had  known  many  instances  in  which  Innuits 
had  been  attacked,  killed,  and  devoured  by  hungry  wolves.  When 
once  so  attacked,  it  was  generally  sure  death  to  the  Innuit.  It 
was,  indeed,  with  thankful  heart  that  I  retired  to  my  snowy  couch 
that  night,  as  I  thought  of  m}''  narrow  escape  from  the  very  midst 
of  that  hungry  pack,  unarmed  as  I  was,  and  far  away  from  all 
help  save  that  which  is  ever  mighty  to  save. 

The  following  morning,  May  15th,  we  were  about  to  resume 
our  journey,  when,  the  wind  having  increased  to  a  gale,  accompa- 
nied with  drift,  and  Koojesse  being  quite  ill,  we  were  obliged  to 
hold  over,  and  keep  in  the  igloo  all  day.  Our  fare  that  day  was 
raw  seal  and  raw  ducks.  The  ducks  were  very  fat,  the  fot  being 
like  butter  both  in  appearance  and  taste. 

In  the  morning  of  Friday,  the  16th,  the  weather  was  thick,  and 
at  times  spitting  snow.  We  were  up  at  3  A.M.,  intending  to  start 
early,  and  complete  the  crossing  of  Frobisher  Bay  to  Kingaite 
coast;  but  the  shore-ice  by  the  island  of  our  encampment  was  in 
such  an  impassable  condition  from  ebb  tide  that  we  had  to  wait 
for  the  flood.  At  7  30  we  were  under  way,  passing  to  the  west- 
ward and  northward  for  some  time  along  the  coast  of  Resor  Isl- 
and* on  our  left,  over  the  rough  ice,  and  among  the  thousand  and 
one  islands  of  that  part  of  P'robisher  Bay.  At  11  A.M.  we  ar- 
rived at  White  Island,  which  I  had  seen  on  my  boat-voyage  in 
the  previous  fall,  and  then  thouglit  very  remarkable.  On  this  oc- 
casion I  landed  to  examine  it  and  procure  geological  specimens. 

Thirty  minutes  after  meridian  we  arrived  close  to  a  point  of 
Kingaite  coast,  whence  I  could  see  what  the  natives  call  SharJco 
(low  land),  where  I  had  my  eighteenth  encampment  of  the  boat- 
voyage  in  the  fall  of  1861.  Having  reached  the  point — Turn 
Point, f  as  I  called  it — where  my  survey  of  the  Kingaite  coast 
terminated  when  on  that  voyage,  I  turned  about  and  resumed 
the  survey,  passing  rapidly  down  a  beautiful  channel — Cincinnati 

*  Named  nftcr  Willinm  Rcsor,  of  Cincinnati,  Oliio.     The  centre  of  this  island  is 
in  Int.  03°  10'  N.,  long.  07"  r.,"/  W. 
t  Turn  Point  is  in  lat.  03°  19'  N.,  long.  68°  09'  W.  |( 


m 


532 


AUCnC  UESKAUCII  EXI'ICDITION. 


Press  Channel,  as  I  named  it,  in  honor  of  the  Associated  Press  of 
the  Queen  City — between  Kingaite  and  Pugh  Island.* 

At  3  P.M.,  while  we  pursued  our  journey  down  the  channel,  an 
exciting  scene  occurred.  A  ])olar  bear,  with  its  cub,  was  observed 
on  the  ice  near  the  base  of  a  bold  high  mountain.  Inunediately 
the  dogs  -were  stopped  and  the  guns  loaded.  Koojessc  forgot  that 
he  was  latne  and  sick,  and  prei)ared  to  join  us  in  the  hunt.  I, 
with  sj)y-glass  in  hand,  watched  the  bear's  movements,  and  when 
all  was  ready,  the  dogs  were  again  started.  They  soon  caught 
sight  of  the  prey,  and  bounded  forward.  While  drawing  us  with 
great  speed,  and  when  within  200  fathoms,  the  drauglit-lino  of  the 
leader  was  cut,  and  away  he  flew  toward  the  bear.  Then  anoth- 
er, and  then  another  of  the  running  dogs  was  cut  loose  and  sent 
in  chase,  until  all  were  free  from  tlu;  sledge  and  in  pursuit. 


THE  IIEAB-IIDNT. 


The  bear,  with  her  cub  following,  made  her  way  over  the  bro- 
ken ice  between  the  main  ice  and  the  shore,  direct  for  the  mount- 
ain steep,  whicli  they  at  once  began  to  ascend. 


♦  Named  after  Gcorf,'oE.  Pugli,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
#     long,  tha  centre  being  in  lat.  03=  IC  N.,  long.  CS°  W. 


One  of  the  dogs 

This  island  is  ten  miles 


I'OLAU-JJKAIMIUNT.  533 

had  now  noaictl  them,  and  constantly  attacked  the  cub  until  it 
became  separated  from  its  mother.  Then  another  dog  sprang 
at  the  hinder  part  of  the  old  bear,  which  turned  and  made  a 
])Iunge  at  the  dog,  causing  both  to  tumble  headlong  down  tin;  de- 
clivity, which  was  so  sleep  that  1  wondered  how  the  bear  could 
have  ascended  it. 

The  light  now  became  earnest,  and  the  dog  yelped  with  pain, 
as  the  bear's  paw  came  heavily  upon  him.  I'resently  Bruin  was 
obliged  to  turn  again,  and,  with  head  swinging  to  and  IVo,  and 
roaring  plaintively  on  hearing  the  cries  of  her  cub,  she  reascend- 
cd  the  mountain  where  it  was  impossible  for  dog  or  man  to  fol- 
low. The  eleven  dogs  finally  all  took  after  the  cub,  which  was 
part  way  np  the  mountain  side,  and,  as  one  seized  it,  over  rolled 
cub  and  dog  together,  and  so  came  tumbling  down.  While  Koo- 
jeaso  and  Sharkey  sought  to  get  a  shot  at  the  old  one,  I  went 
forward  simply  to  see  the  fray  between  young  polar  and  the  dogs. 
On  making  my  way  from  the  main  ice  to  the  shore,  the  cub  made 
a  rush  at  mc  with  jaws  widely  distended.  I  instantly  placed  my- 
self in  position,  prepared  to  receive  the  threatened  shock.  I  re- 
ceived young  polar  on  the  point  of  my  spear,  having  directed  it 
well  toward  the  neck,  and  pierced  Jfchrongh,"  The  dogs  at  once 
flew  to  my  aid,  and  soon  the  savage  beast  was  flat  over  on  its 
back.  "Withdrawing  the  spear,  a  stream  of  hot  blood  immediately 
poured  forth ;  and  then,  with  heavy  blows  on  the  head,  I  broke  in 
its  skull,  and  thus  killed  it.  I  took  it  that  my  Innuit  friends  would 
rejoice  on  learning  my  success,  but  I  soon  fouiid  how  mistaken  I 
was  idjbis  idea.  On  showing  them  what  I  had  done,  they  shrug- 
ged their  shoulders  and  —  said  nothing.  Of  course  I  was  sur- 
prised, and  knew  not  what  to  make  of  such  conduct,  it  being  the 
reverse  of  what  I  had  expected.  It  was  not  long  before  I  learn- 
ed the  viiskike  I  had  made  in  killing  the  young  bear.  This  I  as- 
certained in  the  following  way:  While  Koojesso  and  Sharkey 
were  engaged  skinning  ar-lith(a  (young  polar  bear),  I  proposed  to 
them  to  go  into  camp  where  we  were.  They  objected  to  this.  I 
then  told  them  how  desirous  I  was  to  remain  in  that  locality  for 
a  day  or  so.  ^ly  great  and  earnc.-t  object  was  to  ascend  the  high 
land  close  by,  and  connect  togethei  some  of  the  points  of  my  past 
and  prospective  visitation.  I  Ibi'.nd  that  nothing  whatever  would 
induce  them  to  stop  and  make  encampment  there.  They  said 
that  the  old  bear  would  return  in  the  night,  and,  smelling  the 
blood  of  her  young,  she  would  be  enraged  to  madness,  and  kill 


584 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


YIII:NG    I'Ol.AU   OU.MINU    TO    THE    1H)INT. 


all  of  US.  Furthermore,  they  said  that  their  people  alwa3'S  avoided 
killing  the  young  of  a  Ninoo  till  the  old  one  was  dead,ik)m  the 
very  fact  that  the  previous  death  of  the  offspring  made  the  moth- 
er a  hundred  fold  more  terrible  than  she  otherwise  would  be.  The 
result  of  this  matter  was  no  camp  there  or  about  there  that  night. 
My  companions,  having  completed  their  woriv  of  skinning  the 
bear,  buried  in  snow  the  liver  and  head,  which  Tnnuits  never  eat, 
nor  allow  their  dogs  to  eat,  if  they  can  help  it.  However,  one  of 
my  dogs,  Barbekark,  got  loose  from  the  sledge  and  found  the  liver, 
when  the  whole  pack  bolted  away  and  pitched  in  for  a  share. 
The  carcass  of  the  bear  was  placed  on  the  sledge,  when  (5  P.M.) 
we  started  on  our  way  down  the  channel.  In  half  an  hour  we 
arrived  at  open  water — a  tide-opening  one  tliird  of  a  mile  long 
and  thirty  fathoms  wide.  Sharkey  had  told  nic  about  this  open 
water  while  we  were  at  the  17th  encampment,  on  occasion  of  my 
proposing  to  strike  from  thence  to  Kingaite,  and  continue  down 


INNUIT  TRECAUTION.  535 

the  coast.  Sharkey  said  it  was  altogether  doubtful  whether  we 
should  be  able  to  do  so,  ou  account  of  the  ou-kun-nier  (an  extend- 
ed opening  in  the  ice  caused  by  the  tides).  It  seems  that,  during 
the  coldest  weather,  these  open  places  between  the  numerous  isl- 
ands in  this  part  of  Frobisher  Bay  never  freeze  over  on  account 
of  the  swiftly-running  tides.  However,  we  experienced  no  great 
trouble  in  making  our  way  over  an  ice-belt  that  led  past  this  ou- 
kun-nier.  This  space  of  open  water  abounded  in  seals.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  minutes  Sharkey  fired  two  shots,  the  last  being 
successful,  killing  a  fine  large  seal,  which  we  soon  had  fast  to  the 
sledge.  We  now  had  a  Ninoo  and  a  seal — enough  for  a  feast  for 
both  men  and  dogs. 

When  at  the  tide-opening  we  were  only  one  mile  and  a  half 
from  where  we  had  killed  the  bear.  This  distance  would  not  sat- 
isfy m}^  friends  by  several  miles  for  making  encampment,  there- 
fore, at  6  P.M.,  wc  resumed  our  journey.  A  few  minutes  brought 
us  to  where  the  channel  opened  out  to  a  beautiful  bay,  which  I 
named  Eggleston  Bay.'^'  Our  course  then  was  over  a  smooth  field 
of  ice.  After  making  a  distance  of  some  six  miles  from  where  the 
bear  was  killed,  and  as  we  were  making  good  progress  homeward 
directly  down  the  bay,  all  at  once  the  dogs  were  turned  by  the 
driver  sharply  to  the  left,  nearly  but  not  quite  half  round,  and  di- 
rected toward  the  south  termination  of  Bugh  Island,  whei'c  we 
made  our  eighteenth  encampment.  Before  wc  retired  for  the 
night  the  sledge  was  stuck  up  on  end  in  an  ice-crack,  and  the  guns 
and  spears  were  put  in  order,  at  the  head  of  our  couch,  for  innne- 
diate  use,  if  occasion  should  require  it.  As  I  needed  an  explana- 
tion of  some  of  these  movements  of  my  Innuit  companions,  so  my 
readers  may  require  one  of  me.  I  thus  give  it:  The  reason  of 
Sfoiuii:  to  such  a  distance  from  the  scene  of  the  bear-hunt  before 
making  our  encampment  has  already  been  given.  The  sharp  turn 
— nearly  reversing  our  co^^rse — was  designed,  as  the  Esquimaux 
explained  it,  for  a  safeguard  against  pursuit  by  the  enraged  old 
bear.  If  she  should  attempt  to  pursue  on  our  sledge-track,  her 
movements  would  be  rapid;  and,  finding  the  track  nearly  in  a 
straight  line  for  so  long  a  distance,  she  would  become  somewhat 
confident,  "thinking"  that  the  same  undeviating  course  had  been 
kept  to  the  end ;  therefore,  on  her  reaching  the  place  of  the  sharp 
turn,  it  might  be  unnoticed  and  unscented,  and  she  would  con- 

*  NniiK'il  nfti'v  lirnjatnin  K;;(jl('st(in,  df  rinciniKiti,  Ohio.  Tlie  centre  of  this  I)ny 
is  in  lilt.  ua°  la'  N.,  long.  C8°  W.    !^cc  Chart. 


536  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

tinue  her  course  some  time  longer  before  discovering  her  mistake. 
But,  in  case  she  should  track  us  to  our  igloo  (our  sixteenth,  seven- 
teenth, and  eighteenth  encampments  were  igloos  or  snow-houses), 
then  the  first  thing  she  would  do  would  be  to  throw  down  the 
sledge  (one  of  many  things  that  polar  bears  do  not  like  to  see 
standing),  and  thus  we  should  be  awakened,  and  put  on  our  guard 
against  the  ferocious  beast.  But,  happily,  no  enraged  " she  bear' 
made  her  appearance.  The  trick  of  the  sharp  turn  may  have 
saved  us. 

^lie  bladder  of  the  young  Ninoo  was  kept  hung  up,  at  whatev- 
er place  we  happened  to  be,  for  three  days,  according  to  custom ; 
and  that  night  we  had  an  excellent  supper  off  my  prize,  the  flesh 
appearing  and  tasting  like  veal. 

On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  May  17tl),  having  first  ascended 
the  heights  of  the  island  of  our  encampment,  and  made  the  neces- 
sary observations  for  continuing  my  survey,  we  resumed  our  jour- 
ney down  the  bay,  passing  rapidly,  on  our  right,  Cape  Poillon- 
and  Newell's  Sound, f  and  at  our  left  Pike's  Ishuid,:j:  our  course 
being  along  near  the  Kingnite  coast  and  direct  for  Cape  A^andcr- 
bilt,§  which  point  we  reached  at  3  40  PM.  On  arriving  there,  I 
found  it  a  capital  point  for  connecting  together  much  of  my  pre- 
vious work  by  a  round  of  angles.  Unfortunately,  before  I  could 
accomplish  much  work  in  that  line,  a  thick  fog  closed  distant  ob- 
jects from  view.  As  I  did  not  like  to  leave  such  a  favorable 
point  without  additional  sights,  I  proposed  to  my  company  to  re- 
main there  till  the  next  day.  To  this  Koojesse,  who  was  quite  ill 
and  peevish,  obstinately  objected.  I  therefore  concluded  to  strike 
across  the  bay  at  once  for  the  place  of  tenth  encampment,  our 
starting-point  on  this  flying  trip,  which  we  had  left  on  the  8lh  in- 
sta  \t.  At  5  17  P.M.  we  left  Cape  Vanderbilt,  purposing  to  travel 
all  night.  Our  course  was  almost  in  line  with  Cape  Hill,!  which 
is  the  south  termination  of  Chase  Islapd.^[ 

•  Named  after  Cornelius  C.  and  Richard  Poillon,  of  New  York.  This  capo  is  in 
hit.  r,;5°  11'  N.,  long.  G7°  49'  W. 

t  Named  nftor  Thomas  W.  Newel),  of  Cinrinnati,  Ohio.  The  north  cnpo  of  ihis 
sound  is  Capo  I'oillon,  the;  soiifli  capo  Capo  Vanderbilt. 

X  Named  after  llie  house  of  nenjiimin  I'iko  &  Sons,  of  New  York.  The  centre  of 
this  ishiiul  is  in  lat.  (13°  i;5'  N.,  hma.  07°  iV  W. 

§  Named  after  Conieliiis  Vanderliilt,  of  Ntnv  York.  This  cape  is  in  hit.  (i!!"  07' 
30"  N.,  lonK.  (57°  34'  W.     See  Chart. 

II  Named  after  George  11.  Hill,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  This  capo  is  in  lat.  02°  r>4' 
N.,  h)nK.  00°  37'  W. 

f  Named  after  Salmon  P.  Cdasc,  of  Ohio.  It  is  one  of  tlie  first  group  in  middle 
of  Fruliislicr  Bay.     Tiie  centre  of  tiiis  island  is  in  lat.  02°  08'  N.,  hmn.  Of!''  45'  W. 


A  SCENE  OF  GKANDKUU.  539 

Kcver  shall  I  forget  tliat  night.  It  was  very  cold,  and  wo  sat 
on  the  sledge  well  clothed  in  furs,  while  the  dogs  flew  merrily  and 
at  their  most  rapid  rate.  Occupying  a  place  in  the  rear  of  all  the 
rest,  where  all  was  clear  for  action,  with  the  box  chronometer  un- 
der my  eye,  I  threw  the  log  every  ten  minutes,  holding  the  reel 
up  in  my  right  liand.*  We  all  felt  the  coid  severely,  and  had  re- 
course to  various  contrivances  to  keep  some  warmth  in  our  limbs. 
No  doubt  i  presented  rather  a  grotesque  ajipearancc  as  I  sat  with 
native  stockings  on  my  hands  now  and  then  instead  of  outside 
mittens.  Toward  midnight  we  felt  the  want  of  shelter  and  rest ; 
but,  in  my  own  case,  all  sense  of  discomfort  was  banished  by  the 
beauty  which  Nature  i)laced  before  me.  The  grandeur  of  Kin- 
gaitc's  grotto  mountains  that  we  were  leaving  behind  us,  with 
their  contrasts  of  light  and  shade,  as  viewed  in  the  night,  and 
watched  as  light  increased  with  advancing  da\',  filled  my  soul 
with  inexpressible  delight.  It  was  like  beholding  a  mighty  city 
of  cathedrals,  monuments,  palaces,  and  castles  overthrown  by  an 
earthquake,  the  ruins  resting  amid  mountain  drifts  of  snow. 

At  3  A.M.  of  the  ISth,  when  near  the  islands  which  diversify 
Frobisher  Bay  in  the  locality  between  ^I'Lean  Island  and  Chase 
Island,  the  sun  began  to  peer  out  from  behind  the  dark  clouds, 
wluni  we  stopped  the  dogs,  threw  ourselves  flat  on  the  bare  snow, 
and  slept  soundly  for  one  hour  and  thirty-five  minutes. 

At  8  A.M  we  arrived  at  the  18th  encani})ment  (which  was  the 
same  as  the  tenth),  whence  we  had  started  on  the  8th  instant,  mak- 
ing an  absence  while  on  this  journey  of  just  ten  days.  The  num- 
ber of  miles  traveled  was  176  nautical,  or  203  English  miles,  this 
distance  having  been  made  in  exactly  5-i  hours  and  31  minutes 
traveling  time. 

A  brief  extract  from  my  notes,  written  after  my  return  from 
this  j'ourney,  reads  as  follows : 

"  Taking  my  departure  from  the  tenth  encampment  on  May  8, 
18r)2,  and  sledging  176  miles  (nautical),  now,  on  my  return  to  same 
place,  my  '■  ihad  rcckonhuf — which  has  been  kept  independent  of 
all  the  astronomical  observations  taken  during  the  trip — makes 
the  same  place  differ  in  latitude  2-ni'ir  niiles,  and  in  longitude  less 

*  See  nccompntiyitif;  engnivinp,  nnd  nlso  type  on  larger  scale  of  slcilge-Iog,  line 
and  reel,  on  page  .'■)21,  drawn  to  one  sixth  of  the  size  of  the  origiiiid.  This  contriv- 
ance was  made  while  encani])cd  on  the  ice  in  the  middle  of  Frohisher  Hiiy  i^^iiinth 
cncanipinont).  Tlie  reel  was  wood,  the  lino  a  codfish-lino,  tlie  lop  a  relic  of  the 
wrecked  Itisriie — a  rinp-holt,  weighing  just  two  jiounds,  which  answcnd  admirably 
the  purpose  for  which  I  desired  it, 


54:0  AKCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

than  half  a  geographical  mile,  an  approximation  1  little  expected 
to  make." 

I  found  Uenry  very  sick,  and  it  was  necessary  that  I  should  get 
him  to  the  vessel  as  soon  as  possible.  Tunukderlien  and  Jennie 
were  well,  the  latter  as  evil-disposed  as  ever.  Sliarkey,  howev- 
er, had  to  receive  sad  news.  By  his  former  wife  he  had  a  child, 
which  had  been  given  in  care  to  another  Innuit.  This  child 
would  occasional!}',  by  various  acts  such  as  arc  common  to  young 
children,  annoy  its  guardian,  who  accordingly  conveyed  it  to  the 
top  of  a  lonely  and  rocky  mountain,  served  it  up  in  a  sealskin,  and 
threw  it  down  a  deep  cleft,  leaving  it  there  to  be  frozen  to  death, 
and  there  its  little  corpse  was  afterward  discovered  by  some  In- 
nuits. 

We  found  plenty  of  food  among  the  people  here,  and  blubber, 
the  commercial  value  of  which  would  have  been  some  hundreds 
(jf  dollars,  and  yet  all  soon  to  be  wasted.  One  ookgook  which 
^'.ley  had  captured  must  have  weighed  quite  1500  ])ouuds,  and  its 
blubber  was  two  inches  thick. 

The  following  da}',  May  19th,  finding  that  Koojcssc  was  too 
sick  to  accompany  me  farther,  and  that  Sharkey  had  to  remain 
witli  his  wife,  I  made  arrangements  with  tlic  Innuit  "Bill,"  who 
agreed  to  take  Henry  and  myself,  with  my  dogs,  to  Oopungne- 
wing.  After  farewells  with  my  Innuit  friends,  away  we  went,  all 
six  of  us  (Bill  would  have  his  wife  and  two  children  along  too), 
down  the  bay;  but  in  the  evening  a  heavy  snow-storm  came  on, 
and,  though  we  tried  to  breast  it  for  some  time,  we  were  at  length 
obliged  to  give  in,  and  encamp,  after  midnight,  on  Clarke's  Isl- 
and, which  is  between  Jones's  Cape  atid  Chapel's  Point. 

The  next  morning,  the  20th,  we  again  ])rocceded,  the  traveling, 
in  consequence  of  rough  ice,  being  very  bad,  and,  on  arriving  at  a 
point  near  Twerpnkjua,  wo  were  obliged  to  make  our  course  over 
a  narrow  neck  of  land,  called  tlie  Pass  of  Ef-too-no])-piu,  which 
leads  directly  to  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound.  The  channel 
between  Niountelik  and  Oopungnewing  was  also  much  broken 
up,  and  it  was  only  with  great  dilTiculty  wc  reached  the  latter- 
named  place  in  the  afternoon.     Here  I  found  numerous  Innuit 

families,  and  also  heard  that  Captain  B had  visited  the  ])lace, 

but  had  gone  down  to  Cape  True  fifteen  days  before.  "  Bill,"  my 
sledge-driver,  was  so  stricken  with  snow-blindness  that  I  had  to 
make  arrangements  with  Innuit  "Charley"  to  carry  me  back  to 
the  ship.  This  was  speedily  effected,  and  in  an»  hour's  time  we 
acain  started. 


SAFE  ARRIVAL.  541 

We  proceeded  rujjidly  across  the  sound  to  Lincoln  Bay,  and 
tbence,  taking  Bayard  Taylor  Pass,  arrived  at  Field  Bay.  On  the 
way  quite  an  accident  occurred.  While  on  the  desscent  of  the 
land  pass,  Field  Bay  side,  the  sledge  capsized  and  broke  down, 
and  one  of  the  runners  split  from  stem  to  stern. 

At  first  we  thought  that  it  was  a  complete  wreck,  and  that 
nothing  could  be  done  except  to  walk  the  remaining  distance; 
but  "  Charley"  at  once  proceeded  to  unload  the  sledge  and  make 
repairs.  With  a  seal-knife  he  bored  three  holes  through  the  two- 
inch  plank  runner,  bound  the  shattered  parts  together,  made  all 
secure,  reloaded  the  sledge,  and  then,  when  wc  had  taken  some- 
thing to  cat  and  drink,  declared  that  all  was  once  more  ready  to 
jiroceed.  The  dexterity  with  which  "  Charley"  did  this  was  re- 
markable. In  fifty  minutes  from  the  time  the  sledge  was  broken 
he  had  it  all  in  order  again. 

It  was  nearly  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  May  21st, 
when  we  arrived  at  the  sh'p,  where  I  found  on  board  only  the 
steward  and  "  Fluker." 


WALUCH  ae/iu.  ahv  tcbeu, 


542  AIICTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Ebicrbinp;  and  Tookoolito. — They  tlcciilo  to  Visit  Ampricn. — More  Frobislior  Relics. 
— A  iMiisivCt-l)iill. — OKI  Ookijoxy  Niiioo. — Interesting  Conversiuion. — Her  Sl;eteii 
of  tlie  Monument. — Iniiuit  Superstition. — The  Lock  of  Hair.' — Sledge  journey 
nione. — Another  Trip  ivith  Ehierbing. — Diinger  on  the  Ice.— Remains  of  Inniiit 
subterranean  Houses. — A  critical  Situation.— Boat-excursion  to  Countess  of  War- 
wick's Sound. — A  largo  Traveling  Company. — Kodlunarn  again. — Fresh  Discov- 
eries.— Another  Voyage. — Sharkey's  Monument. — Walrus  Meat. 

For  a  week  after  my  return  to  the  ship  nothing  especially  wor- 
thy of  note  occurred.  An  extract  from  my  diary  of  May  25th, 
1862,  will  show  that  I  was  reasonably  certain  of  having  Innuit 
companions  on  my  return  to  the  United  States:  "Ebierbing  and 
his  nuliana,  Tookoolito,  will  return  here  in  season  to  accompany 
me  to  America.  I  am  to  take  them  for  the  purpose  of  having 
them  accompany  me  on  a  future  expedition  to  King  William's 
Land.  I  hope,  after  what  I  have  done  here  in  the  North  in 
the  way  of  explorations,  in  discovering  relics  of  Frobisher's  expe- 
ditions of  near  three  centuries  ago,  and  in  determining  the  prob- 
able fate  of  the  five  of  his  company  that  were  kidnjipped  here, 
I  shall  have  no  insurmountable  obstacle  to  overcome  in  preparing 
for  that  voyage  which  I  still  have  at  heart — the  voyage  to  King 
William's  Land  and  Boothia — to  investigate  all  the  facts  relative 
to  Sir  John  Franklin's  expedition  while  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
places  named.  That  the  Innuits  are  still  living  who  know  all 
about  the  mysterious  termination  of  that  expedition  I  have  not  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt.  What  is  requisite  is  to  visit  those  regions,  get 
acquainted  with  and  establish  friendly  relations  among  the  Li- 
nuits  there,  become  familiar  with  their  language,  and  then  learn 
of  them  the  history  of  that  expedition." 

On  the  3d  of  June  I  was  fortunate  in  obtaining  two  more  relics 
of  the  Frobisher  expedition.  Ooksin,  an  Innuit  whom  I  had 
known  before,  came  on  board  from  Oopungnewing,  and  gave  me. 
as  a  present  from  Annawa's  wife,  Noodlooj^ong,  a  piece  of  brick, 
or  rather  of  tile,  about  two  inches  long,  one  inch  thick,  and  one 
and  a  half  inches  wide,  and  also  a  musket-ball,  both  found  on  Kod- 


MOUE  FROBLSIIKlt  RELICS.  543 

lunarn  many  years  ago,  and  before  guns  were  used  by  the  natives. 
Tbe  piece  of  tile  was  similar  to  tbose  used  by  tbe  native  women 
in  tbat  locality  for  polishing  tbeir  brass  ornaments.  It  aflbrded 
evidence  enougli,  in  dirt  and  grease,  that  it  must  have  been  in  In- 
nuit  hands  a  long  time.  The  ball  had  the  appearance  of  having 
been  carefully  preserved  since  first  found.  It  had  several  small 
indentations  upon  its  surface,  and  the  whole  of  it  was  covered 
with  a  white  coat  (oxide  of  lead),  in  consequence  of  long  ex- 
posure. It  is  ^-i-ths  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Ooksin  said  the  ball 
was  found  on  Kodlunarn,  under  one  of  the  embankments  by  the 
"ship's  trench,"  before  Innuits  knew  any  thing  of  guns,  and  when 
they  used  only  bows  and  arrows. 

A  day  or  two  after  this,  on  June  7th,  I  started  on  a  sledge-ex- 
ploring trip  to  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  being  accompanied  by 
Ebierbing  as  dog-driver,  but,  after  proceeding  down  the  bay,  coast- 
ing along  by  Clement's  Land,*  rounding  Farrington's  Capc,f  and 
making  some  distance  to  the  north,  we  were  obliged,  on  account 
of  the  deep,  soft  snow  upon  the  sea-ice,  to  return  on  the  tenth  of 
June  without  accomplishing  my  object. 

While  on  this  trip,  however,  I  met  with  old  Ookijoxy  Kinoo 
— who,  with  Ebierbing,  Koodloo,  and  their  families,  was  living- 
near  Farrington's  Cape,  on  a  spot  called  by  the  natives  Twcr-jmk- 
ju-a-chnne,\sh.ic\i  means  a  place  with  many  small  stones — and  had 
an  interesting  conversation  with  her  concerning  matters  pertain- 
ing to  Frobisher's  expedition,  being  fortunate  enough  to  find  her 
in  a  communicative  mood.  She  was  in  her  tuple,  sometimes  sit- 
ting, sometimes  reclining,  and,  as  usual  with  her  (being  old  and 
infirm,  and  mostly  confined  to  her  bed),  was  quite  naked,  with  the 
exception  of  a  tuktoo  coverlet  over  her  shoulders.  When  she 
reclined  she  rested  her  chin  in  her  hands,  which  were  propped  u]) 
by  her  elbows.  Beside  her  lay  her  sick  grandchild,  a  one-eyed 
boy  of  nine  years,  at  whose  illness  she  greatly  grieved.  Near  at 
hand  was  Ookoodlear,  Ookijoxy  Niiioo's  granddaughter,  who  was 
almost  constantly  employed  in  attending  to  the  calls  of  the  old 
lady  ;  she  was  now  engaged  in  dressing  a  tuktoo  skin  and  tending 
the  infant  of  Tookoolito,  who  acted  as  my  interpreter. 

The  old  lady  then,  in  answer  to  questions  put  by  me  through 

♦  Named  after  W.  11.  Clement,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  For  Clement's  Land  see 
Chart. 

t  Named  after  H.  B.  Farringion,  of  New  York.  This  cape  is  in  lat.  02°  50'  N., 
long.  04°  33'  W. 


544  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

Tookoolito,  rcpccatccl  to  mc,  though  in  a  somewhat  difterent  form, 
what  I  had  learned  in  previous  conversations  with  her,  namely, 
that  ships  with  white  men  came  to  those  regions;  that  the  hod- 
hums  who  were  left  behind  built  a  ship,  attempted  to  escape  from 
the  country,  failed  in  the  attempt,  and  finally  froze  to  death.  She 
also  gave  mc  two  names,  which  show  how  accurately  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  Innuits  are  handed  down ;  one  was  the  name  of  a  na- 
tive who  was  particularly  kind  to  the  white  men,  and  who  was 
called  ^'' E-loud-ju-arng ;"  he  was  a  Pim-ma-in,  a  great  man  or  chief 
among  tlie  Innuits,  aa  Tookoolito,  translating  the  old  lady's  words, 
said,  "All  same  as  king."  When  the  white  men  were  about  to 
set  out  with  their  ship  for  home,  this  Eloudjuarng  had  a  song 
made  wishing  the  kodlunas  a  quick  passage  and  much  joy,  and 
he  caused  his  people,  who  were  then  very  numerous,  to  sing  it. 
The  other  name  handed  down  is  that  of  one  native  who  saw  the 
kodlunas,  *^3fan-nu." 

Ookijoxy  Ninoo  gave  me,  moreover,  an  entirely  new  fact.  She 
said  that  the  kodlunas  in  the  ships  who  first  came  to  the  country 
went  up  the  bay  called  by  the  Innuits  Kcr-iink-luo-Joo-a,  and  by  mc 
Xewton's  Fiord,  and  there,  a  little  distance  inland,  erected  a  mon- 
ument. Some  time  later,  Tookoolito  brought  me  a  sketch  of  the 
monument,  made  by  the  old  lady  herself,  and  the  accompanying 
illustration  presents  afac-simile  of  this  sk(>tch.  The  monument 
itself  is  not  on  very  high  land.  The  Innuits  for  a  very  long  time, 
and  down  even  to  the  present  day,  have  been  in  the  habit  of  go- 
ing there;  and  wishing  success  in  hunting,  they  would  give  it 
presents  of  young  tuktoo  meat,  bows  and  arrows,  beads,  etc.,  hang- 
ing the  same  on  it  or  placing  them  close  about  it.  It  was  on  all 
occasions  treated  with  the  greatest  respect,  the  belief  being  that 
he  who  gave  much  to  the  monument  would  kill  much  game. 
Ebicrbing,  on  seeing  the  sketch,  said  that  he  had  frequently  given 
arrows  in  a  similar  way. 

At  one  point  in  her  narrative  old  Ookijoxy  Ninoo  seized  an 
oodloo — a  knife  shaped  like  the  chopping-knifo  in  use  among  us 
(see  page  272) — and  severed  a  lock  of  her  hair,  which  she  gave 
into  my  hands  with  the  request  that  I  would  take  it  to  America, 
and  show  it  to  many  people  as  that  of  the  oldest  Innuit  inhabit- 
ant. She  said  that  there  was  no  one  living  in  her  country  who 
was  a  child  when  she  was.  Iler  hair  was  nearly  all  black,  there 
being  only  now  and  then  a  white  or  gray  hair  on  her  head.  I 
doubt  not  Ookijoxy  Ninoo  was  fully  100  years  old.    Finding  the 


THE  WHITE  MAN'S  MONUMENT. 


545 


old  lady  becoming  exhausted,  I  took  my  lenve  and  returned  to 
the  sledge. 


I'ac  RiMii.K  BKKTcii  iiv  OoKijoxY  NiNoo,  wlio  roprojciitif  hcrnetf  pcrfonninK  her  dcvotiona  to  the  kok- 
kon-e-lii^riKj,  tlu'  iiiii'ipnt  moiiuim'iit  of  tlic  kotl-lti-mtK  (white  men).  Tho  rude  ckctch  in  the  low- 
er pnrt  of  tliiM  illiintraticiii  represents  a  freHli-wnter  liilsc,  wliicli  in  iieiir  tlic  mouuinetit.  Tlie  pend- 
ent linea  nround  the  tup  of  tlie  niuuuuient  are  strings  to  wliicli  tho  natives  Imng  tlieir  presents. 

On  tlie  14tb  of  June  I  left  the  ship  on  a  visit  to  the  whaling  de- 
pot at  Cape  True.  As  no  other  sledge  was  at  hand,  I  took  a  small 
one  which  I  had  previously  made  of  such  material  as  I  found  on 
board,  and  with  (wo  dogs  started  on  my  journey  alone.  I  was 
not  expert  at  driving,  and  at  first  made  slow  progress,  but  finally 
succeeded  in  getting  my  team  into  good  working  order.  Barbe- 
kark  was  my  leader,  and,  by  dint  of  hard  blows,  I  managed  to 
keep  him  in  a  right  position.    On  my  way  I  called  at  the  tuples 

Mm 


546  ARCTIC  RESEAllCII  EXl'EUITION. 

of  Ebicrbing  and  Koodloo,  at  Farrington  Cape.  Iloro  I  had  a 
pleasant  conversation  with  Tookoolito,  and,  soon  after,  Ugarng  ar- 
rived from  Allen's  Island,  in  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay.  I  stoj)ped 
here  for  the  night,  and  the  next  morning  departed  for  Cape  True, 
my  company  being  increased  by  seven  souls,  with  two  large  dog- 
teams  and  two  sledges.  Wo  arrived  at  the  whaling  depot  -with- 
out mishap,  and  found  the  captain  and  his  men,  and  several  Innu- 
its — among  them  my  faithful  attendant  "  Sharkey" — all  well,  fat, 
and  healthy. 

I  remained  a  short  time  at  this  place,  and  then — June  18th — 
returned  to  the  ship,  whence  I  expected  to  depart  in  a  few  days 
for  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  survey 
of  it. 

I  here  bring  forward  an  extract  from  my  journal  of  P'riday, 
June  20th,  1862 : 

"  To-morrow  I  expect  Ebicrbing  to  come  after  me,  when  I  shall 
hope  to  make  a  successful  start  for  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay.  My 
work  by  sledge  will  soon  be  over ;  the  water-pools  on  the  ice  are 
growing  numerous  and  are  enlarging. 

^^  Siiiunlay^Jane  2\st.  A  few  minutes  after  1  P.M.,  Ebicrbing, 
with  team  of  dogs,  arrived.  To-morrow  morning  I  start  on  my 
proposed  trip,  weather  jiermitting — I  mean,  God  willing." 

At  7  23  on  the  morning  of  the  25th,  Ebicrbing  and  myself  left, 
the  shij),  taking  our  course  directly  down  the  Bay  for  Farrington 
Cape.  Thence  we  turned  and  traveled  northwardly  and  eastward- 
ly  for  Cape  Haven,*  a  mountain  island  at  the  eastern  extreme 
of  Williams's  Peninsula.f  Cape  Haven  was  the  place  of  my  first 
encampment  on  this  trip,  and  distant  by  sledge  route  from  George 
Henry  Harbor  fifteen  miles.  On  ascending  its  heights  I  found 
the  view  that  it  commanded  to  be  very  extensive. 

On  the  following  day  I  held  over  at  the  place  of  my  first  en- 
campment till  11  A.M.,  hoping  the  sun  would  make  its  appear- 
ance from  behind  the  clouds,  so  that  I  might  make  observations 
for  time,  latitude,  and  solar  bearings. 

Having  no  prospect  of  sun,  we  started  or,,  striking  along  to  the 
north  on  the  ice  of  Davis's  Strait,  our  course  leading  us  not  far 
from  the  coast  of  Williams's  Peninsula.     Before  leaving  Cape  Ua- 

*  Thus  named  after  Ilonry  P.  Haven,  of  New  London,  Conn.  Cape  Haven  is 
in  lat.  C2°  54'  N.,  long.  G4°  215'  W. 

t  Thus  named  after  T.  W.  Williams,  of  Now  London,  Conn.  The  Esquimaux 
name  of  the  land  which  I  called  Williams's  Peninsula  is  Simj-cy-er. 


A  NARROW  ESCAPE.  547 

vcn,  however,  we  prospected  from  its  summit  the  state  of  tlic  ice 
over  wliicli  wo  cxpect'^d  to  travel  that  day,  and  found  it  rent  here 
and  there  with  wide  and  diversified  fissures.  Tlio  prospect  be- 
fore us  was  certainly  not  very  flattering,  still  we  determined  on 
doing  the  best  we  could  in  making  a  trial.  This  trial  wo  made, 
but  with  what  success  will  now  appear.  In  passing  almost  direct 
for  Rogers's  Island  wo  found  the  ice  of  a  very  dangerous  charac- 
ter. It  was  groaning  and  cracking  to  an  alarming  extent.  The 
open  water  was  only  some  three  miles  off,  and  the  heaving  sea  be- 
neath us  threw  up  the  frozen  mass  upon  which  we  traveled  in  a 
way  that  made  it  doubtful  if  wc  could  proceed.  Wide  fissures 
and  numerous  tide-holes  were  met,  and  frequently  my  companion 
Ebierbing  and  myself  had  to  move  along  the  edge  of  these  fis- 
sures for  some  distance  before  we  could  find  any  passage  across. 
On  one  occasion  the  dogs  were  trotting  along  by  the  side  of  an 
ice-fissure,  while  I  was  intent  upon  examining  the  land  we  were 
passing,  and  Kbicrbing  was  looking  after  a  seal ;  they  suddenly 
drew  the  sledge  almost  into  the  yawning  chasm  ;  but,  on  my  rais- 
ing a  cry  of  warning,  Ebierbing,  by  a  word,  turned  the  team  off 
from  the  dangerous  spot,  and  thus  saved  us.  "Wo  arrived  at  Rog- 
ers's Island  at  7  P.M.,  and  made  our  second  encampment,  having 
made  the  distance  of  just  twenty  miles  from  Cape  Ilaven  on  a 
course  N.  by  W.  (true). 

We  were  detained  on  Rogers's  Island  one  full  day  and  two 
nights  by  a  terrific  gale  and  snow-storm  which  occurred  on  the 
24th.  It  was  an  anxious  time  with  us,  for  there  was  every  prob- 
ability that  the  gale  would  make  distustrous  work  with  the  ice 
over  which  I  intended  to  make  my  return  to  the  ship.  In  case  it 
did  so,  we  should  not  be  able  to  reach  the  vessel  in  less  than  two 
or  three  weeks,  as  we  should  have  been  obliged  to  make  our  way 
as  best  we  could  to  the  land  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay,  and 
thence,  abandoning  every  thing,  to  have  gone  on  foot  over  mount- 
ains of  rock  and  snow  to  Field  Bay. 

Fortunately,  wc  were  preserved  from  this  peril,  and  on  the  25th 
of  June  we  reached  Allen's  Island  in  safety ;  but,  although  I  had 
originally  intended  to  go  '.o  the  extreme  of  this  bay,  the  advanced 
season  had  made  ice-traveling  so  precarious  that  I  was  forced  to 
confine  my  labors  to  the  survey  of  that  part  of  the  bay  south  of 
Allen's  Island,  and  I  commenced  a  renewed  examination  of  the 
place.  A  short  distance  from  where  we  had  our  third  encamp- 
ment, which  was  on  the  south  end  of  Allen's  Island,  I  saw  the 


548  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

ruins  of  an  old  Innuit  village,  wliicli  showed  a  custom  of  the  peo- 
ple in  former  times  of  building  their  winter  houses  or  huts  under 
ground.  Circles  of  earth  and  stones,  and  skeleton  bones  of  huge 
whales  were  to  be  seen,  as  also  subterranean  passages.  There 
were,  moreover,  bones  of  seals  and  other  animals  beneath  sods 
and  moss,  indicative  of  their  great  age.  I  discovered  with  my 
spy-glass  two  monuments  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  inland, 
and  thither  I  directed  my  steps.  They  were  seven  or  eight  feet 
high,  four  feet  square  at  the  base,  and  about  three  fathoms  distant 
from  each  other.  The  top  of  one  had  been  torn  or  blown  down. 
The  stones  of  which  they  were  composed  were  covered  with  black 
moss.     1)  jy  were  erected  by  the  Innuits  evidently  ages  ago. 

My  record  of  the  succeeding  day  commences  thus : 

^'Thursday,  June  2Qlh,  1862.  I  much  desired  to  continue  my  trip 
up  to  the  extreme  of  this  bay,  but,  on  consulting  freely  with  m}- 
Innuit  companion,  I  found  that  my  better  policy  was  to  give  njt 
the  idea  of  doing  so.  It  would  take  some  three  or  four  days  to 
go  up  and  return,  allowing  the  loss  of  one  or  two  days  bad  weath- 
er, as  Ebierbing  said,  and  in  that  time  the  probability  of  losing 
our  chance  to  return  on  the  ice  with  our  sledge  and  instrunn  ,.s; 
besides,  Ebierbing  said  that  Ugarng  had  told  him  that  there 
would  be  great  risks  to  run  in  going  up  the  channel  on  either 
side  of  Allen's  Island  on  account  of  thin  ice  and  tide-holes." 

On  the  morning  of  the  above  day  wc  commenced  our  return 
to  the  vessel.  I  omitted  nothing  on  my  way  back  that  I  could  do 
in  the  way  of  making  observations  for  completing  my  chart.  Oui- 
fourth  encampment  was  near  the  north  end  of  Williams's  Peninsula. 

On  Friday,  the  27th  of  June,  11  A.M.,  wc  were  back  again  at 
Cape  Haven,  the  place  of  our  first  encampment.  As  I  was  desir- 
ous of  spending  a  day  at  this  place  in  making  numerous  observa- 
tions, it  being  a  favorable  look-out  point,  I  therefore  chose  it  for 
my  fifth  encampment. 

One  could  scarcely  have  more  joyous  feelings  than  I  had  at  the 
prospect  that  was  before  me  of  doing  some  excellent  work,  and 
oi  doing  a  large  amount  of  it.  The  day  was  fine — that  is,  I  had  a 
bright  clear  sun,  while;  there  was  a  light  breeze  from  the  north- 
west which  was  just  warm  enough,  or,  rather,  just  cold  enough  for 
my  comfort. 

While  I  was  engaged  at  my  work  on  tlio  heights  of  this  cape, 
Ebierbing  proceeded  fiir  out  on  the  ice  of  Davis's  Straits  and  em- 
ployed himself  in  sealing.     Many,  very  many  places  that  had  now 


MONUMENTAL  ISLAND. 


649 


become  familiar  to  me  even  as  friends,  were  in  view;  in  truth,! 
was  nearly  encircled  by  them,  though,  the  most  were  far  off. 
Prominent  among  these  were  the  Monumental  Island  of  Sir  John 
Franklin,*  twenty  miles  distant,  bearing  E.S.E.  (true),  and  Lady 


MOSCMENTAL    IBLANU  OF   BIB  JOHN   ITiAHKUN. 

Franklin  Island,  nearly  due  east,  while  far  away  to  the  north  were 
Cape  [Murchison,  Brevoort  Island,  Kobinson  Sound, f  Beekman's 
Peninsula,:}:  Archibald  Promontory,§  and  Cape  Arnoux.||    A  chan- 

*  I  so  named  this  island  as  my  tribute  to  the  mcmorj'  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  The 
Innnit  name  of  it  is  Oo-7iH-i'n-ir(i,  from  its  resemblance  to  nn  inverted  oo-mi-cn  (a 
woman  or  family  boat).  Its  geographical  jiosition  I  dctcrniinnd  by  triangulation, 
which  was  done  repeatedly  and  carefully,  that  I  might  hnvu  confuicnco  iii  recom- 
mending this  ns  a  desirable  and  reliable  ])oint  by  which  navigators,  who  might  de- 
sire it,  coidd  regalate  their  chronometers.  The  centre  of  the  Slonumental  Island 
of  Sir  John  Franklin  I  found  to  be  in  hit.  G2°  4,"i'  45"  N.,  and  long.  G3°  41'  07"  west 
of  Greenwich.     See  Chart. 

t  This  extensive  sound  I  have  named  after  Cajitaiii  IT"nry  TJobinson,  of  Nowbnrg, 
N.  Y.     It  is  between  llcekman's  Peninsula  and  Hrevoort  Island.     See  Chart. 

X  Named  by  me  after  James  W.  Heekinan,  of  New  York.  IJerkman  Peninsula  is 
bounded  on  the  east  by  Robinson  Sound  and  Anderson  Channel,  and  on  the  west 
by  Cornelius  Grinnell  Bay. 

§  Named  after  E.  M.  Archibald,  II.  B.  M.  consul  of  New  York.  This  promontory 
is  on  the  west  side,  at  the  entrance  of  Kobinson  Sound. 

II  Named  after  Wm.  Ilemy  Arnoiix,  of  Xew  York.  Cape  Arnoux  is  on  the  east 
side,  at  the  entrance  to  Cornelius  GrinnuU  Bay. 


550  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

nel  or  strait,  which  I  named  Anderson  Channel,*  leading  from 
Eobinson  Sound  up  toward  Northumberland  Inlet,  was  lost  to 
my  view  by  the  high  land  of  Beekman's  Peninsula.  The  obser- 
vations I  made  at  this  point  were  quite  numerous  and  important. 
On  the  following  day  (27tli)  we  continued  our  return,  and  at  5 

P.M.  arrived  at  the  ship,  where  Captain  B ,  with  four  of  the 

crew,  had  arrived  the  day  previous  from  Cape  True. 

On  the  30th  of  June  I  started  on  a  sledge  trip  to  Cape  True, 
where  most  of  the  oflicers  and  crew  of  the  Geonje  Henry  were  yet 
staying.  There  I  remained  for  several  days,  trying  to  form  a 
company  of  natives  to  go  with  me  by  boat  to  Countess  of  War- 
wick's Sound.  I  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  company  of  eleven, 
consisting  of  Miner  and  his  new  wife  "  Suzhi" — my  old  boat  com- 
panion on  my  voyage  up  Frobisher  Bay — Koopcrneung  and  his 
two  wives — for  he  had  recently  married  a  second — Sharkey  and 
his  Jennie,  young  "Captain,"  "Bone  Squash,"  and  two  lunuit 
children — a  girl  and  a  boy. 

We  left  Cape  True  at  9  45  A.M.  on  the  morning  of  July  13th, 
and  at  3  P.M.  reached  a  small  island  near  Oopungnewiiig,  named 
by  me  Ookijoxy  Ninoo;  thence,  after  a  short  stop,  we  went  on  to 
Oopunguewing.  My  purpose  in  visiting  this  island  was  to  hunt 
for  the  "anvil,"  which,  as  I  have  already  stated,  had  been  thrown 
from  the  south  end  into  the  water.  It  was  just  after  the  full 
moon,  and  therefore  the  tides  were  rising  and  falling  to  their  ex- 
treme limits,  near  thirty  feet;  at  low  water  a  wide  shore  was  left 
perfectly  exposed,  and  nothing  could  have  escaped  my  eye.  I 
sought  carefully  and  with  anxiety  for  the  relic  I  so  much  desired 
to  obtain,  but  in  vain ;  it  was  not  there.  It  was  clear  that  the 
"thick-ribbed  ice"  had  embraced  it,  as  it  evidently  had  every 
loose  stone  and  heavy  rock  in  that  locality,  and  had  carried  it 
away  from  the  land  in  its  grasp. 

On  the  following  day,  July  14th,  we  started  for  Kodlunarn, 
where  we  remained  till  the  17th,  during  which  time  I  occupied 
myself  in  making  researches  for  relic; ,  investigating  all  that  I 
could  which  had  a  bearing  upon  the  subject,  besides  making  a  com- 
plete survey  of  the  island.  These  days  of  hard  work  resulted  in 
the  discovery  of  additional  relics,  confirming  me  in  the  opinions  I 
had  previousl}''  formed,  and  which  I  have  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume expressed.  In  addition  to  what  I  had  dime  before,  I  found 
very  clear  evidences  of  the  existence  of  a  blacksmith's  forgo  or  a 

'•"  This  chanDcl  I  named  after  Captain  Anderson,  of  the  steam-shij)  China, 

\ 


GATHERING  RELICS. 


551 


furnace.  I  must  not  omit  to  say  here  that  the  Esquimaux  wom- 
en and  children,  and  occasionally  the  men,  aided  me  greatly  while 
on  Kodlunarn,  searching  for  and  securing  relics.  The  men  were 
obliged  to  be  off,  most  of  the  time,  sealing  and  hunting  tuktoo  for 
our  subsistence. 

Our  tuples  v/erc  close  by  the  place  that  we  called  the  "ship's 
trench"  (sec  Plan  No.  1  on  Chart  Sheet),  and  occasionally,  as  I  have 
said,  all  hands  were  engaged  with  me  in  gathering  Frobishcr  rel- 
ics. One  may  get  a  good  idea  of  our  appearance  when  so  engaged 
from  the  accompanying  engraving. 


I  lu:  AiTiniB  AM)  1118  Inndit  Co-Vpanv  (111  Kiidlmmin,  or  Wliito  Man'J  Island,  gathering  Froblslier 

Kelie.",  July  lUh-ntli,  1S0l>. 

The  following  list  is  an  extract  from  the  catalogiie  that  accom- 
panied the  Frobishcr  relics  which  I  sent  to  the  British  govern- 
ment, through  the  Koyal  Geographical  Society  of  London,  shortly 
after  my  return  to  the  State?,  and  embraces  twenty  aniclcs  that 
were  inclosed  in  a  small  black-velvet-lincd  box,  lettered  J,  which, 
with  all  that  I  sent,  have  been  deposited  by  the  British  govern- 
ment in  the  Greenwich  Hospital  Museum,  the  same  institution  in 
which  the  Franklin  relics  arc  to  bo  seen.  The  unabridged  list 
comiirised  130  separate  parcels. 


CONTENTS  OF  BOX  J. 


FROniElIEIt  BF.LIOS. 


A  PORTION  OF  THE  RELIC  LIST.  553 


LIST  OF  ARTICLES  ILLUSTRATED  IN  THE  ACCOMPANYING  EN- 
GRAVINGS. 

"1.  FruRmcnt  of  tile  and  4  gravcl-stoncs,  united  Iiy  the  moss  of  ages. 

2.  Fraj^mcnt  of  potteiy,  fuiitul  neui- '  Host's  Huhviirls..'     E.     Sec  Chart,  Phm  No.  1 . 

3.  Small  piece  of  conl  (aiiparently  of  hair),  found  deeply  imbedded  in  the  coal-de- 

posite  of  Ek-k('-lc-v,hun. 

4.  Four  fragments  of  Khiss  (ap])arcntly  of  a  jar  or  bottle),  found  on  the  ground  near 

the  ship's  way.     Tlie  I'xact  sjiot,  I. 

5.  rieco  of  oxyd  of  iron,  with  the  moss  of  ages  upon  it,  found  near  tlie  ship's 

trench.     A  A. 
C.  I'iece  of  wood,  dug  up  nt  tlie  foot  or  base  of  the  .shiij's  trench.     AA. 

7.  Soa-coal,  with  the  moss  of  ages  upon  it,  foinid  near  'Best's  Bulwark.'    E. 

8.  Piece  of  pottery,  found  near  'Best's  Bulwark.'     E. 

!).  Fnignient  of  wliitt  pottery  (?),  black  glazing  outsiilc  and  inside,  found  on  Kod- 
lunaru,  near  'Best's  Bulwark.'    E. 

10.  ClioifC  sjiecimcn  of  tile,  eovoved  with  the  moss  of  ages,  from  Kodluiiavn. 

11.  Hca-coal,  covered  with  Iho  moss  of  ages,  from  coal  dejiosito,  Kkkele/.liun. 

12.  Stone,  covered  with  tlie  moss  of  ages,  from  the  to])  of  one  of  the  sliii)'s  embank- 

ments,    (jtl. 

13.  Flint-stone,  covered  with  the  moss  of  ages,  found  near  the  head  of  the  .shi])'s 

way.     A  A. 

14.  Fragment  of  tile  (glazed),  n]iparently  a  i)orti(in  of  it  hiinian  figure  represented 

njion  it — leg  Mild  foot  in  nlicvn.     Largest  piece  of  tile  fouml ;  dug  from  be- 
neath one  of  the  ship's  embankments.     GG. 

15.  Stone,  with  lime  cement,  from  the  ruins  of  stone  house.     B. 

Ki.  I'robahly  one  of  the  ears  or  kiiob-handlcs  of  an  earthen  jar,  from  near  'Best's 
Bulwark."     E. 

17.  Flint-stone  witli  the  moss  of  ngos  upon  it. 

18.  Cliii>  found  dee))ly  imliedded  in  coal-deijosite,  Ekkelozhun. 

li).  Burnt  tlint-stone,  with  lime  cement,  from  the  ruins  of  stone  house.     B. 

20.  Clir.rcottl  of  coarse-grained  wood,  api)arcntly  of  thrifty  growtli,  found  under 
stones  and  sods  by  the  ruins  of  the  blacksmith's  shop.  The  grain  of  this 
charcoal  indicates  it  to  bo  of  the  same  kind  of  wood  as  that  found  at  the 
base  of  the  ship's  trencli,  AA.     Vide  box  1),  1." 


554  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

The  reader  may  observe  that  the  capital  letters  here  and  there 
appended  to  the  descriptions  in  the  list  refer  to  spots  of  ground 
indicated  by  those  letters  respectively  in  Plan  No.  1  of  the  Chart 
Sheet.  The  form  and  general  appearance  of  each  of  the  twenty 
articles  arc  exhibited  in  the  preceding  engraving,  taken  from  a 
photograph.     Of  course  they  are  reduced  in  sv/.o. 

On  the  18th,  after  coasting  by  Tikkoon.  visiting  the  bluff  Ax- 
2Mu-e-iie  Sup-hmg^  crossing  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound,  and 
entering  Victoria  Ba}',  I  landed  at  Ekkelezhun,  where  I  had  found 
the  heap  of  coal  in  the  previous  fall.  Here  I  again  carefully  ex- 
amined the  jilacc,  and  on  the  next  day  commenced  my  return,  en- 
camping at  night  near  a  bay  or  inlet — Sabine  Bay* — on  the  east 
side  of  Sharko.  "While  exploring  this  inlet  I  was  led  to  the  dis- 
covery of  a  monument,  built  within  the  jircvious  five  or  six  years, 
on  the  top  of  a  mountain  in  the  rear  of  our  encampment,  and 
which  I  learned  from  the  Esquimaux  had  been  erected  by  an  En- 
glish whaling -captain  named  Brown.  From  this  monument  I 
took  numerous  compass  bearings  and  sextant  angles,  and  then,  re- 
turning to  the  boat,  started  back  for  Cape  True,  where  we  arrived 
in  the  evening.  Without  dela\-,  I  proceeded  up,  along  the  coast, 
one  mile,  and  renewed  my  oljservations  to  connect  with  those 
made  at  Brown's  ^Monument,  and  thus — as  far  as  lay  in  my  power 
with  the  instruments  T  po.-^sessed — completed  the  link  of  bearings 
and  sextant  angles  that  now  extended  all  round  Frobisher  Bay. 
I  now  wanted  to  make  another  trip  to  the  "  southeast  extreme" — 
the  Hall's  Island  of  Frobisher.  On  my  mentioning  my  desire  to 
the  natives,  all  of  them,  at  first,  refused  to  aecom[)any  me,  owing 
to  their  dread  of  the  place;  but  at  length  Sliarkey,  the  bold  In- 
nuit  who  was  of  my  company  in  the  late  sledge-journey  up  Fro- 
bisher Bay,  consented  to  go,  if  I  would  allow  his  wife  to  be  of  tlie 
party.  Mate  Lamb  and  four  of  the  ship's  crew  also  went  with 
me,  as  the  ship's  company  were  doing  nothing,  except  now  and 
then  capturing  a  walrus  and  eating  it,  sim[)ly  living  at  Cape  True 
until  the  ice  in  Field  Bay  should  break  up  and  free  the  ship. 
They  remained  at  Cape  True  to  be  near  the  walrus  grounds.  Our 
only  means  of  subsistence  consisted  of  such  products  as  the  coun- 
try afforded.  About  100  pounds  of  raw  walrus  meat  was  placed 
in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and,  besides  that,  every  man  had  enough 
of  the  same  food,  cooked,  to  last  two  days. 

*  Niimcd  l)y  me  after  Edward  Sabine,  of  London,  England.    The  entrance  to  Sa- 
bine Riiv  is  ill  lat.  G2°  3'J'  N.,  long.  G:,°  {)'>'  \\. 


LAST  EXPLORING  TRIP.  555 

"Wo  left  the  wlialing  depot  at  3  A.M.  of  the  21st  of  July,  nnd 
proceeded  through  Bear  Sound  and  Lupton  Channel  to  Sylvia 
Island,  where  we  arrived  at  five  o'clock.  I  landed  and  went  to 
the  summit,  where  I  could  obtain  a  good  view,  and,  to  my  vexa- 
tion, found  that  Field  Bay  was  still  heavily  covered  with  ice.  I 
had  purposed  making  my  outward  trip  along  the  north  side  of 
Lok's  Land,  and  return  coasting  along  its  south  shore,  thus  mak- 
ing a  complete  circuit  of  the  island ;  but  the  presence  of  the  ice 
convinced  me  that  this  could  not  be  done  by  boat,  and  consequent- 
ly I  had  to  try  the  southern,  or  Frobisher  Bay  side.  After  spend- 
ing an  hour  there,  taking  a  round  of  angles  and  doing  other  work 
in  the  way  of  confirming  my  survey,  wo  therefore  returned  down 
Bear  Sound,  passing  directly  under  the  beetling  clilfs  of  Alatlack's 
Island,'"'"  which  is  near  the  centre  of  the  Sound.  About  meridian 
wc  were  among  the  islands  at  the  entrance  of  Bear  Sound,  visiting 
one  after  another  for  egg  and  duck  hunting,  which  proved  to  be 
quite  successful.  A  short  time  after  wo  rounded  Cape  Chapel, f 
and  made  our  course  nearly  due  east,  coasting  along  under  oars. 
We  had  not  proceeded  far  before  we  were  passing  the  mouth  of 
a  beautiful  bay  —  Biglor  Ba}-,:};  as  I  named  it  —  wliich  made  up 
some  two  miles  into  Lok's  Land.  Then  we  entered  a  loner  nar- 
row  channel — New  York  Press  Channel§ — having  low  land  on 
either  side,  that  at  our  right  being  what  I  called  Harper  Brothers' 
Island.]  After  several  hours'  hard  pulling  at  the  oars  we  arrived 
at  the  termination  of  this  channel,  and  made  our  first  encamp- 
ment on  Lok's  Land,  opposite  the  east  end  of  Harper  BrotheivV 
Island.  Wo  had  boiled  ducks  and  eggs  for  supper,  and  our 
sleeping  accommodation  for  the  men  was  made  of  the  boat's  sails, 
while  that  for  Mr.  Lamb  and  myself  was  merely  a  shawl  to  cov- 
er us. 

At  7  A.M.  next  day,  July  22d,  we  again  started,  and,  as  wc 
passed  along  Lok's  Land,  I  noticed  a  monument  of  stone  stand- 
ing near  the  edge  of  the  shore.  Sharkey  told  mo  that  this  was 
erected  by  himself  and  some  Innuit  companions  on  reaching  this 
spot  a  few  years  ago,  after  having  been  drifted  out  to  sea  when 

*  Named  nftor  B.  Mmlatk,  of  Cincinnnti,  Ohio. 

t  Ntimcil  after  Cpptaiii  EihvarJ  A.  Clia]H'l,  of  Hudson,  New  York.  This  capo  is 
on  the  ensi  side,  at  the  entrance  to  Rear  Sound  of  Frobisiier. 

J  Named  after  James  Bi<;ler,  of  Newburg,  New  York. 

§  Nauu^d  after  the  Associated  Press  of  New  York  Cit}-. 

II  Named  after  "  IIar])er  Brothers"  of  New  York.  The  centre  of  Harper  Broth- 
ers' Islnnu  is  in  hit.  {]2°  20'  30"  N.,  long.  G4°  30'  ^V. 


556  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

the  ice  broke  away,  at  a  time  they  wore  out  on  a  walrus  hunt 
from  Toongwine  (Jones's  Cope).  It  was  in  the  winter,  and  the 
weather  wtis  so  severe  while  they  were  thus  adrift  that  their  dogb 
all  died.  The  Innuits  eseaped  by  the  tide  setting  the  ice  inshore. 
They  managed  to  return  to  their  families  by  crossing  the  island, 
and  thence  reached  the  main  land  by  traversing  the  ice-pack.  Be- 
fore they  got  back  every  one  had  considered  them  lost,  and  their 
return  was  an  occasion  of  joy  to  their  friends  as  if  the  dead  had 
come  to  life. 

More  monuments  were  seen,  and  I  was  informed  that  thoy  in- 
dicated the  land  dreaded  by  all  Innuits,  and  that  they  told  of  a 
time  long  ago  (already  mentioned),  when  many  of  the  native  peo- 
ple lived  there,  who  ultimately  were  all  lost;  since  when,  no  In- 
nuit  dares  dwell  upon  the  island. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  I  visited  Bear  Island — the  place  where, 
one  year  before,  while  on  my  sledge-trip,  Ebierbing,  with  Kuodloo, 
had  killed  a  bear — and  at  2  P.M.  we  reached  its  eastern  end. 
Here  we  found  the  pack-ice  setting  in  with  the  tide  too  heavily 
for  risking  the  boat,  and  we  ngain  had  to  encamp.  Next  morn- 
ing, however,  we  succeeded  in  crossing  the  entrance  to  Osbon'y 
Bay,*  and  getting  to  Hall's  Island  of  Frobisher — the  Extreme 
Land — and,  as  .soon  as  i)ossible,  I  was  on  my  wiiy  to  the  sunnnit 
of  Mount  Warwick,  which  I  had  ascended  in  the  previous  year. 
It  was  a  laborious  task  o'l  this  occasion,  with  the  sun's  hot  rays 
pouring  down  upon  our  backs ;  but,  finally,  I  readied  the  spot 
where,  on  my  former  visit,  heavy  fog-banks  had  shut  out  all  dis- 
tant objects  from  my  sight.  Now  I  was  more  fortunate.  ^V  me- 
ridian observation  of  the  sun  was  made,  and  two  .solar  bearings 
obtained,  which  enabled  me  to  connect  many  important  places  by 
.sextant  angles.  In  recotrnizino;  distant  lands  I  received  much  as- 
sistance  from  Sharkey,  who  is  well  acquainted  with  the  coast  from 
Northumberland  Inlet  down  to  llcsolution  Island,  and  also  up 
Hudson's  Strait  to  Karmowong. 

The  view  from  the  point  where  I  stood  was  a  very  extensive 
one,  and  probably  there  is  no  place  in  the  whole  country  equal  tu 
it.  Certainly  no  place  which  I  visited  while  North  afibrds  such  a 
commanding  view  as  this  from  Mount  Warwick.  I  could  see  flu- 
away  to  the  north,  even  to  the  high  land  near  the  entrance  of 

*  Named  by  mc  nfter  B.  S.  Osbon,  of  New  York..  Osl)on's  Buy  is  at  tlio  cast  end 
of  Lok's  Land.  Tlio  entrance  to  it  is  on  the  soutli  side  of  Hall's  Island  of  Frobishor 
and  Hudson's  Island. 


A  GALE.— BEAR  SOUND.  557 

Northumberland  Inlet,  and  thence,  sweeping  round  by  the  west, 
away  to  Resolution  Island  south.  Seaward,  as  far  as  my  eye 
could  reach  from  an  elevation  of  1200  feet,  was  pack-ice.  Field 
Bay,  except  the  entrance,  was  also  full  of  last  winter's  ice,  as  was 
also  as  much  of  Frobisher  Bay  as  I  could  observe. 

Our  return  was  made,  though  not  without  danger  and  some  dif- 
ficulty. 

Leaving  Hall's  Island  of  Frobisher  at  G  P.M.,  we  arrived  at  the 
place  of  our  first  encampment  at  9  80,  night,  where  wo  made  our 
second  and  last.  Next  morning,  at  4  25,  we  started,  continuing 
our  return  voyage.  Before  we  got  through  New  York  Press  Chan- 
nel the  wind  had  freshened  to  a  gale  from  the  northeast,  but  on  and 
on  our  boat  bounded  like  a  thing  of  life.  The  gale  continued,  if 
any  thing  increased,  till  we  were  athwart  Bear  Sound,  when  it 
burst  into  fury,  madly  hurling  the  foaming  breakers  in  upon  us 
and  the  unnumbered  islands  that  lay  in  our  course.  To  add  to 
our  dangers,  a  thick  fog  was  upon  us ;  yet  our  little  craft,  though 
with  half  sail,  and  all  the  time  nearly  upon  her  beam-ends,  llew 
full  15  knots  an  hour.  Speedily  and  safely,  but  wet  as  "  drown- 
ed rats,"  we  arrived  at  Cape  True  at  8  15  A.M.,  though  in  our  pas- 
sage across  Bear  Sound  we  had  but  just  escaped  destruction. 

I  may  here  st^te  that  the  whole  party  at  Cape  True  were  in  no 
want  of  food  while  I  was  there.  "Walrus  was  abundant,  and  was, 
indeed,  almost  exclusively  our  diet.  We  had  walrus  brains  for 
supper;  stewed  walrus,  or  walrus  boiled, for  dinner;  but  always 
walrus,  and  no  bread. 


558  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Revisit  Victorin  Bnj-, — Pnckoil  Ice  ficfting  in  tlio  Sound. — Detention  nnd  difficult  Es- 
cape.— Return  to  tlic  Wimiiiit;  Depot. — Joyous  News  from  tiie  Slii|t. — All  llandh 
summoned  on  Board. — Great  E.\citcment. — Adieu  to  Bear  Sound,  Lu])ton  Chan- 
nel, and  French  Head. — Arrival  on  Board. — The  Shij)  free  from  Ice. — Pre])ar- 
ations  for  Sailing. — Visit  to  Ebicrbing  and  Tookoolito. — Their  readiness  to  go 
to  America. — August  Oth,  1802,  the  Ge.orijc.  Iknrij  lifts  Anchor,  and  gets  under 
way  for  Home. — Friendly  Adieux  to  the  Natives. — Once  more  at  Sea. — Finst  Sign 
of  Civilization  for  twenty  Months. — Newfoimdinnd. — Pilot  comes  on  Board. — 
First  News  of  the  War. — Kindly  Reception  at  St.  John's. — Arrival  at  New  Lon- 
don. — Conel  usion . 

I  WILL  hfere  give  a  few  brief  extracts  from  my  journal,  written 
while  stopping  at  Cape  True,  commencing  with 

''  Thursdai/,  JuJij  31.v/,  1862.  One  year  ago  to-ilay  the  George 
Henrn  broke  out  of  her  ice-prison.  This  morning,  Alates  Itogers, 
Gardiner,  and  Lamb,  with  their  three  boats  and  ei'cws,  went  out 
in  the  bay — Frobisher  Bay — after  walrus.  A  short  time  after 
they  left  a  thick  fog  set  in,  and  the  tide  carried  them  up  opposite 
Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound  before  they  were  aware  of  it.  Aft- 
er the  lighting  up  of  the  fog  a  little,  they  fell  in  with  a  shoal  of 
walrus,  of  which  they  harpooned  three  large  ones.  This  walrus 
party  returned  at  3  P.M.  with  three  tons  of  fresh  meat.  There  is 
no  place  in  the  world  where  a  "  living"  is  obtained  with  less  work 
than  here.  These  three  walruses  added  make  the  whole  number 
forty  that  have  been  taken  since  the  George  Ileiiri/s  company  first 
came  here  this  season,  not  including  .some  two  or  three  young 
ones. 

"  Fridcv/,  Augmt  Ist.  And  still,  as  we  learn,  the  George  Henry  is 
fast  in  the  ice.  Anxious  are  all  of  us  to  depart  for  the  States, 
but  King  Ice  will  not  yet  let  us  go,  A  good  '  nor'wcster'  would 
drive  away  the  pacl^  which  jiresses  .so  closely  and  so  unrelenting- 
ly the  west  side  of  Davis's  Strait,  and  allow  the  ice  which  holds 
dominion  over  the  George  Henri/ s  pathway  to  the  sea  to  give 
way.  It  may  be  the  pack  will  keep  us  here  another  year ;  but  I 
hope  not.  I  trust  in  two  weeks  more  we  shall  be  on  our  way 
home,  there  to  prepare  for  the  voyage  I  have  so  much  at  heart. 
God  grant  an  early  deliverance  from  our  ice  foe. 

^^  August  2d.  This  afternoon,  learning  that  the  Innuits  here  were 


COUNTESS  OF  WARWICK'S  SOUND.  559 

about  to  rem'  ,c  up  into  Field  Bay  ns far  as  tlio  open  water  would 
allow  them,  I  at  once  set  my  wits  to  work  to  devise  some  plan  to 
secure  some  of  tbcm  to  accompany  mc  again  to  Countess  of  War- 
wick's Sound,  and  to  be  of  such  service  to  mc  in  the  boat  that  I 
shall  be  able  to  keep  good  dead  reckoning.  I  first  conversed  with 
Mate  Rogers.  He  agreed  to  accompany  mc,  with  two  of  his  men 
not  otherwise  engaged.  The  Innuits  '  Miner'  and  '  Charley'  signi- 
fied a  willingness  to  accompany  mc  with  their  wives  and  kias.  I 
hope  now  to  complete  my  survey  of  the  Countess  of  Warwick's 
Sound,  and  to  be  enabled  to  keep  a  correct  account  of  distances 
and  courses  made.  Arrangements  are  now  complete  to  start  to- 
morrow, with  the  expectation  of  being  absent  two  or  three  days. 
By  that  time  I  hope  that  we  shall  have  word  to  vacate  this  place 
(Cape  True),  and  make  for  the  ship,  to  depart  for  the  States. 
This  will  probably  be  my  last  research  voyage  before  leaving  for 
home.  I  wish  the  time  would  admit  of  my  proceeding  up  to  Ker- 
nuk-too-ju-a  (Newton's  Fiord),  near  which  is  that  monument  (sec 
page  Oio)  which  the  natives  say  was  erected  ])y  kodlunas  long, 
long  time  ago,  which  I  have  been  so  very  anxious  to  visit  since 
old  Ookijoxy  Ninoo  first  told  me  about  it." 

At  8  A.M.  of  August  3d,  with  an  increasing  breeze,  we  left  the 
whaling  depot,  my  whble  company  being  in  one  boat,  except 
Charley  and  Miner,  who  were  each  in  his  kia.  Our  progress  was 
good,  and  we  got  on  without  any  mishap  over  half  way ;  but 
when  near  Cape  Cracroft,  at  the  entrance  to  the  sound  we  wished 
to  enter,  the  storm  which  had  been  threatening  for  some  time 
broke  upon  us  all  at  once,  tearing  up  the  sea  in  its  wildest  fury, 
so  that  several  times  we  were  in  great  danger.  The  heavy  squalls 
from  off  the  high  land  at  our  right  caused  us  to  exercise  the  great- 
est caution  in  managing  the  little  sail  we  were  able  to  carry ;  the 
rain  was  pouring  down,  and  the  white-caps  tumbled  into  our  boat, 
making  it  necessary  to  keep  incessantly  bailing;  but  finally,  after 
much  skillful  management  on  the  part  of  Mate  Kogers  as  boat- 
steerer,  v/o  efTcctcd  a  safe  landing  at  Cape  Ood-loo-ong. 

Directly  after  landing  I  a.scendcd  Harris  Highlands,*  to  exam- 
ine the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound,  when,  to  my  vexation,  I 
found  that  between  us  and  Hazard's  Land,f  Oopungnewing,  Ni- 

♦  Tlie  inoiintninnns  land  between  Lincoln  Bay  nnd  Victoria  Bay  I  nnmeil  Ilariis 
Highlands,  after  J.  N.  Harris,  of  New  London,  Connecticut. 

t  The  land  on  the  north  of  the  Conntess  of  Warwick's  Sound,  and  east  of  Wis- 
well's  Inlet,  I  named  Hazard's  Land,  after  A.  G.  Hazard,  of  Enfield,  C^'inccticut. 


560 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


ountelik,  and  Kodlunarn,  all  was  packed  ice,  and  in  such  a  state 
that  no  boat  could  be  forced  through  it.  The  presence  of  this  ice 
is  accounted  for  in  this  way :  the  heavy,  incessant  gale  of  July 
24th  and  25th  had  driven  the  pack  hard  on  to  the  west  side  of 
Davis's  Strait,  and  when,  on  August  2d,  another  gale  prevailed, 
coming  from  the  southeast,  it  drove  the  ratthng  pack  up  into  Fro- 
bisher  Bay,  filling  it  almost  solid,  except  close  inshore  between 
Bear  Sound  and  Victoria  Bay.  My  hopes,  therefore,  to  accom- 
plish what  I  designed  in  making  this  final  trip  were  doomed  to 
be  disappointed ;  but,  while  an  opportunity  remained  for  doing 
any  thing,  I  determined  to  thoroughly  examine  the  remarkable 
bay  in  which  we  then  were — Victoria  Bay — and  its  surroundings. 
This  I  did  on  the  following  day.  The  weather,  however,  was 
very  bad,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could  accomplish  any  thing 
at  all.  Then,  too,  we  had  to  guard  against  being  shut  up  in  the 
pack ;  and  our  critical  situation  became  so  evident  that,  on  the 
morning  of  the  5th,  we  saw  that  to  delay  our  return  a  moment 
longer  would  be  sheer  presumption.  Accordingly,  at  an  early 
hour,  we  started,  the  whole  company  in  the  boat  (the  two  kias 
were  left  at  Cape  Ood-loo-ong) ;  but  we  had  not  gone  far  before 
we  met  the  pack  drifting  in  with  the  tide,  and  blocking  up  our 
way.  And  now  began  the  usual  work  of  hauling  the  boat  over 
ice,  tracking  her  through  narrow  channels,  turning  now  to  the 
right,  then  to  the  left,  going  forward  a  while,  then  back  to  anoth- 
er opening,  and  cutting  away  obstructions. 

Several  hours  of  heavy  labor  were  consumed  in  lifting,  push- 


TUB  KSOAPE  OVBB  DBirTlNO  PACK.— HY  "LAST  BIQUTH." 


THE  ICE-PACK.— GOOD  NEWS.  561 

ing,  and  pulling  our  boat  over  several  miles  of  driving,  drifting, 
whirling,  crashing,  thundering  ice.  Ocoasionally,  while  my  com- 
pany— both  men  and  women — would  be  getting  the  boat  upon  an 
ice-floe,  and  dragging  it  along,  the  dogs  and  children  accompany- 
ing, I  would  be  busily  engaged  with  my  instruments  taking  my 
"  last  sights"  of  the  principal  places  in  and  around  the  ever  mem- 
orable "  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound,"  which  had  been  lost  to 
the  world  for  near  three  hundred  years,  but  now  was  found.  At 
last  we  got  clear,  arriving  at  open  water,  when  we  at  once  launch-  ■ 
ed  the  boat  and  pushed  off.  From  thence  it  was  not  long  that  we 
were  on  our  way  to  Cape  True,  where  we  arrived  in  perfect  safe- 
ty, though,  within  two  hours  after  our  arrival,  the  pack  rihhed  the 
whole  coast,  and  we  thus  narrowly  escaped  being  closed  in  the 
second  time. 

Two  days  after  our  return,  on  Friday,  August  8th,  we  were 
agreeably  surprised,  in  the  early  morning,  by  the  arrival  of  Cap- 
tain B in  a  boat  direct  from  George  Henry  Harbor,  in  the 

upper  part  of  Field  Bay.  He  announced  that  the  ship  was  near- 
ly free,  and  that  the  ice  of  Field  Bay  was  all  broken  up,  and 
much  of  it  had  drifted  out  to  sea.  His  orders  were  for  all  hands 
to  proceed  immediately  on  board. 

This  news  caused  immense  joy.  All  was  excitement.  Tents 
were  quickly  struck,  boats  were  made  ready,  and  stowed  with 
such  of  the  material  as  we  intended  carrying  on  board,  and  in  a 
very  short  time  we  were  ready  for  a  start.  As  for  myself,  I  had 
to  regret  the  loss  of  some  of  my  geological  specimens,  which  I 
was  obliged  to  abandon  here  on  account  of  their  weight  in  the  al- 
ready overloaded  boat. 

At  4  A.M.  we  took  our  final  leave  of  Cape  True,  after  a  friend- 
ly adieu  to  the  people  in  that  locality,  with  whom  we  had  become 
so  familiar.  We  struck  direct  for  Hubbel's  Point,*  and  soon  aft- 
er was  passing  up  Bear  Sound.  The  day  was  calm  and  clear,  and 
the  boats  had  to  be  pulled  nearly  the  whole  way ;  but  no  fatigue 
was  felt  while  anticipating  a  speedy  arrival  on  board  the  ship. 
At  seven  o'clock  we  were  through  Bear  Sound,  where  the  tide,  as 
usual,  was  running  very  swiftly  and  strong,  though  it  was  in  our 
favor.  Many  well-known  spots  were  quickly  passed,  receiving 
our  farewell,  and  we  were  soon  through  Lupton  Channel,  when 
we  turned  into  Field  Bay,  which  was  seen  to  be  nearly  full  of 

*  Tliis  point,  on  the  west  side  nt  the  entrance  of  Bcnr  Sound,  I  have  named  after 
Charles  C.  ITubbel,  of  Iludsot,  New  York. 

Nn 


562  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

drift-ice,  moving  out  and  in  with  the  tide,  French  Head,  the 
scene  of  poor  John  Brown's  death,  was  gazed  upon  with  some 
saddening  memories ;  but  the  brightness  of  the  day,  and  the  hope 
before  us  of  soon  being  under  way  for  home,  forbade  much  lin- 
gering on  painful  recollections.  At  1  P.M.  we  passed  Parker's 
Bay,  and  in  an  hour  and  a  half  more  arrived  at  the  ship,  glad 
again  to  tread  her  decks,  but  more  especially  rejoiced  to  find  her 
once  more  free. 

I  went  on  shore  immediately  after  to  take  some  observations ; 
and  then,  upon  my  return  on  board,  and  after  a  supper  of  hard 
bread  and  salt  junk,  I  started  with  a  boat's  crew  down  the  north 
side  of  the  bay  to  Farrington  Cape,  to  bring  off  Ebierbing  and 
Tookoolito,  with  their  child.  I  had  previously  asked  them  sever- 
al times  about  accompanying  me  to  the  United  States,  and  they 
had  expressed  a  desire  to  do  so.  Now,  however,  the  time  for 
preparation  was  so  short,  and  the  evont,  withal,  so  sudden  to 
them,  that  I  feared  they  would  not  like  to  come ;  but  on  my  ar- 
rival at  their  encampment,  some  seven  miles  down,  I  was  agree- 
ably surprised,  after  some  conversation,  to  find  them  prepared  to 
make  the  venture.  In  less  than  an  hour  these  children  of  the  icy 
North  had  packed  up  their  effects,  and,  together  with  their  child 
and  their  fine  seal-dog  "  Batty,"  were  with  us  in  the  boat,  ready  to 
proceed  on  a  voyage  to  a  strange  and  distant  land.  My  faithful 
dog  Barbekark  could  not  be  forgotten  nor  left  behind ;  he  was 
already  aboard.  The  arrangement  we  had  made  was,  that  they 
should  accompany  me  to  the  States,  ana  then  on  my  voyage  to 
King  William's  Land ;  and  that,  if  the  ice  would  admit  of  it,  on 
leaving  the  States  and  getting  near  their  country,  I  would  stop 
•with  them  to  see  their  friends.  The  only  objection  they  made 
was,  that  they  were  fearful  they  should  lose  their  infant  boy  while 
on  board  the  ship.* 

At  the  same  time,  Ugarng,  "John  Bull,"  Koodloo,  and  their 
wives,  came  along  with  us  in  their  boats ;  and  many  other  Innuit 
families,  from  various  places  near  the  ship,  with  whom  we  had 
been  acquainted,  did  the  same.  It  was  near  midnight  when  we 
got  on  board,  and  I  found  every  thing  in  readiness  for  the  ves- 
sel's departure  on  the  following  morning. 

Saturday,  the  9th  of  August,  commenced  with  calm  and  clear 
weather.     All  were  full  of  excitement.     Every  mart  felt  equal  to 

*  Tii1c-e-lik-e-ta^  tho  infant  child  of  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito,  died  in  New  York 
City  of  pneumonia,  on  February  28th,  1 8G3.  t 


TER-BOU-E-TIE.— HOMEWARD  BOUND. 


563 


and  ready  for  any  amount  of  work.  Eagerly  was  the  word  of 
command  waited  for.  The  ice  had  cleared  away ;  the  ship  was 
swinging  lazily  to  her  anchors,  and  all  now  required  was  to 
weigh  them  and  spread  sail.  But  there  was  no  wind.  This,  for 
a  time,  made  us  hold  on,  until  at  length  the  captain,  finding  it  use- 
less to  wait  longer  for  a  breeze,  gave  the  signal,  and  away  went 
the  windlass  round  to  the  mirthful  notes  of  joyous  men,  as  they 
hove  in  chain  and  lifted  anchor  once  more.  Soon  the  ship  was 
clear,  and  then,  with  lines  out,  all  the  boats  were  manned  to  tow 
her  down  the  bay. 

As  we  left  the  anchorage  all  our  Innuit  friends  surrounded  us, 
and  with  many  words  of  kind  regret  again  and  again  bade  us 
"  ter-bou-e-tie"  (farewell).  There  were  not  a  few  among  us  who 
felt  this  partinw.  We  had  received  much  and  constant  kindness 
at  their  hands,  and  the  final  adieu  was  not  without  those  softer 
shades  of  feeling  which  generally  characterize  partings  at  home. 


^^ Ter-bou-e-lie,  //i-»i«-i<"— (l-uiunell,  Innuit?). 

But  now  it  is  over.  The  vessel  moves  on  her  way.  The  kias 
and  oomiens,  with  their  occupants,  gradually  recede  from  our 
view,  and  with  a  last  wave  of  the  hands,  a  parting  look,  we  turn 
our  glances  seaward,  and  allow  our  thoughts  to  be  occupied  only 
with  home. 

During  the  morning  we  were  compelled  to  use  the  boats  in 


564  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

towing,  but  in  the  afternoon  made  sail,  though  with  a  light,  baf- 
fling breeze.  In  the  evening,  however,  a  fog  came  up,  and  at  11 
P.M.  we  had  to  make  fast  to  a  floe.  The  weather  continued  the 
same  next  day  until  midnight;  then,  with  a  fresher  breeze,  we 
made  all  sail,  and  kept  working  through  the  ice  for  twenty-four 
hours,  when  at  length  we  got  clear,  and  were  once  more  fairly  at 
sea. 

It  was  a  strange  feeling  I  had  when  again  experiencing  the  pe- 
culiar motion  of  a  ship  on  the  heaving,  ever-restless  bosom  of  the 
ocean.  After  being  so  long  imprisoned  in  that  ice-locked  region, 
the  sensation  now  was  similar  to  what  had  come  over  me  when 
taking  my  departure  from  home.  But  a  few  days  soon  put  me  to 
rights,  and  as  the  vessel  made  good  way,  my  spirits  rose  buoyant 
over  the  temporary  attack  of  sea-sickness,  and  I  was  myself  again. 

On  the  17th  we  were  all  delighted  by  the  sight  of  four  vessels, 
the  first  signs  of  civilization  we  had  seen  for  twenty  months.  As 
we  neared  one  of  them  bearing  the  English  flag,  an  officer,  with  a 
boat's  crew,  was  sent  from  our  ship  on  board,  to  try  to  obtain 
some  provisions,  as  we  were  living  on  very  short  allowance — 
three  fifths  of  a  pound  of  sea-biscuit  per  man  per  day,  with  a  little 
salt  junk  and  salt  pork.  Unfortunately  we  could  get  none,  as 
the  supercargo  of  the  ship  stated  that  they  had  no  more  than 
enough  for  themselves.  Another  ship  was  tried.  She  proved  to 
be  a  Spanish  vessel ;  but  a  small  quantity  was  obtained  from  her, 
and  this  was  most  acceptable. 

On  the  21st  we  neared  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  and  it  was 
considered  advisable  that  we  should  visit  that  port  to  obtain  .sup- 
plies, as  all  of  us  were  nearly  half  staived.  Of  course,  we  made 
all  the  preparations  we  could  in  regard  to  our  persons  and  our 
dress,  for  we  were  once  more  to  mix  with  civilized  beings.  At  6 
A.M.  on  the  23d,  a  pilot  came  on  board,  and,  as  soon  as  he  had 
passed  the  gangway,  I  put  the  question,  which  is  generally  the 
first  from  an  American's  lips  on  ^ucli  occasions,  "  Who  is  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States?"  But  so  little  did  our  affiiirs  trouble 
this  Newfoundlander  that  he  cor.ld  give  us  no  information.  I  put 
the  leading  names  to  him,  but  still  without  efitet.  He  "did  not 
know."  This  was  mortifying,  for  I  was  naturally  anxious  to 
learn  who  had  the  ruling  power  in  my  native  land ;  but,  seeing  I 
could  get  no  satisfactory  reply,  I  turned  aside,  while  the  pilot  con- 
versed with  Captain  B .    Presently  the  latter  came  to  me  and 

said, 


CONCLUSION. 


566 


"  So  there's  war,  then,  in  reality,  among  us  at  home.    The  North 
and  the  South  are  fighting  against  each  other." 

"  What  I"  I  exclaimed,  in  utter  amazement;  "  what — war  ?   War 
in  the  United  States,  and  amO''g  ourselves  P 

"  True  enough,"  was  the  response ;  "  at  least  so  says  our  pilot." 

A  few  words  with  the  pilot  assured  me  of  the  main  fact,  though 
without  informing  me  of  any  particulars,  for  he  could  give  none. 
But  the  news  was  so  astounding  that  I  did  not  for  a  while  recov- 
er from  the  shock.  Bitter  was  the  feeling  that  came  over  me  on 
receipt  of  the  intelligence,  and  I  tried  hard  to  doubt  it,  until  doubt 
became  impossible,  especially  when  I  landed  and  heard  all  the 
facts  from  our  consul.  This  first  news  from  home  created  a  gen- 
eral gloom  among  us  on  board,  and  much  of  the  joy  which  we 
should  naturally  have  felt  on  reaching  a  civilized  port  was  lost  by 
reflecting  upon  the  fact  that  so  serious  a  calamity  had  fallen  upon 
our  beloved  land. 

As  we  approached  the  harbor  of  St.  John's  the  excitement 
among  us  was  intense.  The  head  became  somewhat  confused  as 
it  turned  from  one  object  to  another  in  the  vast  and  noisy  assem- 
blage around  us.  But  when  the  ship  had  dropped  anchor  and  I 
had  landed,  the  overpowering  sensations  that  followed  were  more 
than  I  can  describe.  I  was  in  a  constant  whirl.  It  seemed  to  me 
as  if  I  were  just  coming  from  death  into  life,  and  it  was  with  dif- 
ficulty I  could  manage  to  control  myself  in  the  society  of  the 
many  kind  and  warm-hearted  friends  to  whom  I  was  soon  intro- 
duced. 

The  news  of  our  arrival  soon  spread  through  the  town,  and 
many  persons  flocked  around  the  ship  to  see  •'s,  all  expressing 
much  surprise  at  our  robust  and  healthy  appeanmce.  My  Innuit 
companions,  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito,  with  their  infant,  also  at- 
tracted much  attention.  Every  where  on  shore  we  were  most 
hospitably  received,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  names  of  those 
in  St.  John's  who  so  warmly  welcomed  me. 

On  first  landing  I  immediately  telegraphed  my  arrival  to  Mr. 
Grinnell  and  to  my  own  home,  and  received  replies  in  a  few 
hours. 

We  staid  at  St.  John's  until  the  26th,  when  we  made  sail  for 
New  London,  where  we  arrived  on  Saturday  morning,  September 
13,  .1862 ;  and  thus  ended  my  voyage  and  explorations  of  two 
years  and  three  and  a  half  months  in  and  about  the  arctic  seas. 


666  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

INNUIT  OR  ESQUIMAUX  CHARACTER,  CUSTOMS,  ETC. 

The  Innuit  Name. — Chnracter  of  the  People. — Their  domestic  Life. — Peculiar  Cus- 
toms concerning  Women. — Social  and  political  Life. — Theological  Ideas. — Be- 
lief in  a  God.  —  The  Angekos. — Mingumailo  and  his  two  Wives. — His  Rage 
against  Koojesso.  —  Superstitious  Customs  of  the  Innuits. — Customs  connected 
with  Hunting. — Innuit  Christmas  and  New  Year. — Innuit  Language. — Innuit  Cos- 
tume.— Native  Sagacity  in  studying  Natural  History. — Anecdotes  of  the  Seal — 
of  the  Polar  Bear.  —  Innuit  Ingenuity. — Always  ready  in  Emergencies. — Con- 
clusion. 

The  race  of  people  whom  we  denominate  Esquimmix  are,  in 
their  own  language,  called  In-nu-il — that  is, "  the  people."  In-nu, 
in  the  singular  number,  signifies  "  man ;"  in  the  plural,  In-nu-it, 
"people,"  "the  people,"  or  (as  they  understand  it)  "our  people," 
as  distinguished  from  foreigaiers.  The  name  Esquimaux  is  entire- 
ly foreign,  and  not  to  be  interpreted  from  any  elements  hitherto 
found  in  their  language.  In  illustration  of  its  origin,  a  friend, 
who  is  philologically  devoted,  has  favored  the  author  with  the  fol- 
lowing suggestions : 

The  appellation  '^  Esquimaux^^  —  of  which  the  traders'  term 
^'Ilusky^^  is  a  mere  corruption — is  obviously  derived  from  some 
Algic  dialect,  doubtless  from  the  Chippeway  or  the  Cree.  The 
Cree  language  is  very  nearly  the  same  as  the  Chippeway,  the  dif- 
ference being  merely  dialectic. 

In  the  Chippeway,  ush-ke  signifies  "  raw."  In  the  same  lan- 
guage, um-wau  signifies  "  he  eats."  From  these  elements  we  read- 
ily form  the  word  ush-ke-um-wau,  "  raw  he  eats."  And  a  noun 
derived  from  this  verb,  as  a  national  denomination,  must  be  some 
such  form  as  Aish-ke-um-oof/,  "  raw-fle.sh-eaters ;"  the  double  o  be- 
ing long,  like  oa  in  boat.  Use  has  softened  this  name  into  Es-ke- 
moog  (pronounced  .Es-ke-moag) ;  the  sh  of  the  Chippeway  becom- 
ing simple  s,  it  would  seem,  in  the  Cree.  All  that  remains  is  the 
consideration  that  the  French  traders,  of  course,  used  the  French 
orthography. 

According  .to  Innuit  mythology,  the^rs^  man  was  a  failure — 
that  is,  was  imperfect,  though  made  by  the  Great  Being;  there- 
fore he  was  cast  aside  and  called  kob-lu-na,  or  kod-lu-na,  as  pro- 
nounced by  the  modern  Innuits,  which  means  white  man.    A  sec- 


^ 


INNUIT  CHARACTER,  CUSTOMS,  ETC.  557 

ond  attempt  of  the  Great  Being  resulted  in  the  formation  of  a  per- 
fect man,  and  he  was  called  In-nu. 

As  a  general  statement,  it  may  be  said  that  the  Innuits,  among 
themselves,  are  strictly  honest.  The  same  may  be  said  as  be- 
tween them  and  strangers  —  that  is,  whites,  though  with  some 
modification.  The  Innuits  have  an  impression  that  the  hodlunas 
(white  people)  possess  plenty ;  that  is,  plenty  of  iron,  wood,  beads, 
knives,  needles,  etc.,  which  is  the  reason  why  the  Innuits,  when- 
ever they  meet  with  whites,  always  cry  ^^pil-e-tay!  pil-e-layr 
("  give !  give  1")  And  the  word  kodlunas,  in  fact,  signifies  not  only 
"  white  people,''^  but  the  people  who  always  have  plenty.  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  saying  that,  as  respects  honesty,  these  unsophisti- 
cated people,  the  Innuits,  do  not  suffer  by  a  comparison  with  civ- 
ilized nations. 

While  with  the  Innuits,  I  saw  enough  to  convince  me  that  they 
are  a  kind,  generous  people.  ^ftjkB  between  themselves,  there  can 
be  no  people  exceeding  thenOn  this  virtue — kindness  of  heart. 
Take,  for  instance,  times  of  great  scarcity  of  food.  If  one  family 
happens  to  have  any  provisions  on  hand,  these  are  shared  with  all 
their  neighbors.  If  one  man  is  successful  in  capturing  a  seal, 
though  his  family  may  need  it  all  to  save  them  from  the  pangs 
of  hunger,  yet  the  whole  of  his  people  about,  including  the  poor, 
the  widow,  the  fatherless,  are  at  once  invited  to  a  seal-feast. 

Though  there  is  occasionally  to  be  found  among  this  people  an 
evil  person,  yet,  taken  as  a  whole,  they  are  worthy  of  great  credit. 
They  despise  and  shun  one  who  will  shao-la-voo  ("tell  a  lie"). 
Hence  they  are  rarely  troubled  by  any  of  this  class. 

Children  are  sometimes  betrothed  by  their  parents  in  infiincy. 
As  Tookoolito  says, "  The  young  people  have  nothing  to  do  with 
it"  The  old  men  make  the  marriage  entirely.  When  the  be- 
trothal is  made,  the  couple  can  live  together  at  any  time,  usually 
decided  by  the  ability  of  the  man  to  support  the  woman.  In  oth- 
er cases,  when  a  young  man  thinks  well  of  a  young  woman,  ho 
proposes  to  take  her  for  his  wife.  If  both  are  agreed,  and  the 
parents  of  the  girl  consent,  they  become  one.  There  is  no  wed- 
ding ceremony  at  all,  nor  are  there  any  rejoicings  or  festivities. 
The  parties  simply  come  together,  and  live  in  theiro\frn  tupic  or 
igloo.  It  sometimes  happens  that  two  who  are  intended  for  each 
other  live  together  as  companions  for  a  term  of  probation,  always 
without  consummating  their  marriage.  It  may  happen,  in  such  a 
case,  that  the  trial  develops  a  want  of  congeniality,  or  what  is 


568  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

called  in  a  higher  state  of  civilization  "  an  incompatibility  of  tem- 
per." Then  the  two  separate,  and  the  woman  returns  to  her  par- 
ents. In  all  cases,  love — if  it  come  at  all — comes  after  the  mar- 
riage. 

There  generally  exists  between  husband  and  wife  a  steady,  but 
not  very  demonstrative  affection,  though  the  woman  is  frequently 
subjected  to  violent  usage  by  reason  of  some  sudden  outbreak  of 
temper  on  the  man's  part,  and  though,  when  she  is  near  her  death, 
he  leaves  her  alone  to  die. 

When  a  child  is  born,  the  mother  is  attended  by  one  or  more 
of  her  own  sex ;  even  the  husband  is  not  allowed  to  be  present. 
If  it  is  a  first  child,  the  birth  takes  place  in  the  usual  tuple  or  ig- 
loo ;*  if  it  is  a  second,  or  any  other  than  the  first,  a  separate  tupic 
or  igloo  is  built  for  the  mother's  use,  and  to  that  she  must  re- 
move. Male  children  are  desired  in  preference  to  females,  but 
no  difference  is  made  in  their  tre[|haent,  and  there  are  always  re- 
joicings and  congratulatory  visira^when  an  infant  is  born.  Im- 
mediately after  the  birth,  the  infant's  head  must  be  firmly  squeezed 
side  to  side  with  the  hands,  and  a  little  skin  cap  placed  tightly 
over  the  compressed  head,  which  is  to  be  kept  there  for  one  year. 
This  custom  prevails  throughout  the  region  of  Frobisher  Bay, 
Field  Bay,  C.  Grinnell  Bay,  Northumberland  Inlet,  and  all  places 
known  to  me  and  my  Innuit  informants.  The  infants  are  nursed 
until  three  or  four  years  of  age.  The  children,  when  old  enough, 
find  their  amusement  in  playing  with  toys  made  of  bone  and  ivo- 
ry in  the  forms  of  various  animals.  When  older,  the  boys  are  ed- 
ucated in  rowing,  hunting,  and  sealing ;  the  girls  are  taught  to 
trim  the  fire-light  and  keep  it  burning,  to  cook,  dress  leather,  sew, 
help  row  the  oomiens,  and  to  do  various  other  kinds  of  work. 

The  women  are  not  prolific.  I  believe  they  consider  children 
troublesome.  The  race  is  fast  dyir. j  out.  Not  many  years  more 
and  the  "  Innuit"  will  be  extinct. 

The  affection  of  the  parents  for  their  children  is  very  great,  and 
disobedience  on  the  part  of  the  latter  is  rare.  The  parents  never 
inflict  physical  chastisement  upon  the  children.  If  a  child  does 
wrong — for  instance,  if  it  becomes  enraged,  the  mother  says  noth- 
ing to  it  till  it  becomes  calm.  Then  she  talks  to  it,  and  with  good 
effect. 

*  There  is  an  occasional  exception  to  this  rule,  as  in  the  case  of  Tookoolito.  She 
was  obliged  to  have  a  separate  tupic.  Thi3  was  so  ordered  by  the  angeko,  because 
of  Ebicrbing's  sickness. 


N.y' 


INNUIT  CIIAUACTER,  CUSTOMS,  ETC.  gQQ 

On  Saturday,  February  28, 1863,  the  infant  son  of  Ebierbing 
and  Tookoolito  died  in  New  York,  aged  eighteen  months.  The 
loss  was  great  to  both  of  them,  but  to  the  mother  it  was  a  terrible 
blow.  For  several  days  after  its  death  she  was  unconscious,  and 
for  a  part  of  the  time  delirious.  When  she  began  to  recover  from 
this  state  she  expressed  a  longing  desire  to  die,  and  be  with  her 
lost  2\ik-e-lik-e-ta.  The  child  was  greatly  beloved  by  both  of  the 
parents.  In  truth — I  must  be  allowed  to  diverge  here  for  a  mo- 
ment— there  was  cause  for  their  great  affection,  and  reason  for  pe- 
culiar grief  on  the  part  of  the  bereaved  mother.  I  never  saw  a 
more  animated,  sweet-tempered,  bright-looking  child.  Its  imita- 
tiveness  was  largely  developed,  and  was  most  Ihgaging.  Tuke- 
liketa  was  a  child  to  be  remembered  by  all  who  ever  saw  him. 

For  a  certain  length  of  time  after  a  child  is  born  the  mother 
must  remain  in  her  own  home,  visiting  no  other  tupic  or  igloo. 
The  period  for  which  this  limitation  holds  good  varies,  sometimes 
reaching  to  the  length  of  two  months.  At  the  expiration  of  the 
time  she  makes  a  round  of  calls  at  all  the  dwellings  about,  hav- 
ing first  changed  all  her  clothing.  She  never  touches  again  that 
which  she  throws  off"  on  this  occasion,  and  which  she  has  worn 
since  the  birth  of  the  child.  Another  custom  forbids  the  mother 
to  eat  by  herself  for  a  year  after  the  birth  of  the  child.  When 
asked  the  reason  of  this,  Tookoolito  only  said,  "The  first  Innuits 
did  so."  In  respect  to  Innuit  customs  in  general,  it  may  be  ob- 
served that  they  are  often  adhered  to  from  fear  of  ill  report  among 
their  people.  The  only  reason  that  can  be  given  for  some  of  the 
present  custoips  is  that "  the  old  Innuits  did  so,  and  therefore  they 
must." 

Another  custom  in  relation  to  their  females  is  this : 

At  certain  periods  separation  igloos  are  built  for  them.  The 
woman  must  live  secluded  for  so  many  days,  and  it  would  be  a 
great  offense  for  her  to  enter  into  any  other  tupic  or  igloo  during 
this  time.  On  one  occasion,  while  on  my  sledge-journey  in  the 
middle  of  Frobisher  Bay,  and  at  the  place  of  the  tenth  and  nine- 
teenth encampments,  I  met  Sampson,  his  wife,  and  family  pro- 
ceeding to  another  encampment.  While  I  was  talking  with  them 
the  wife  asked  me  for  something  to  eat.  I  was  surprised  at  this, 
for  I  knew  that  Sampson's  family  were  generally  well  provided 
with  food.  But  an  explanation  followed.  I  was  told  that  the  In- 
nuit custom  is  for  females,  at  certain  times,  not  to  partake  of  cer- 
tain kinds  of  Innuit  food.    In  this  case,  Sampson's  wife  bad  been 


570  AUCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

nearly  a  week  without  eating,  and  was  very  hungry.  I  gave  her 
what  little  I  had  of  pemmican.  She  insisted  on  my  taking  some- 
thing for  it,  thrusting  into  my  hands  twelve  miniature  ducks  and 
other  sea-birds,  carved  in  walrus  ivory.  These  I  retain  as  me- 
mentoes of  the  occasion. 

The  women,  generally,  are  tattooed  on  the  forehead,  cheeks,  and 
chin.  This  is  usually  a  mark  of  the  married  women,  though  un- 
married ones  are  sometimes  seen  thus  ornamented.  This  tattoo- 
ing is  done  from  principle,  the  theory  being  that  the  lines  thus 
made  will  be  regarded  in  'the  next  world  as  a  sign  of  goodness. 
The  banner  of  the  operation  is  simple.  A  piece  of  reindeer-sinew 
thread  is  blacldfced  with  .soot,  and  is  then  drawn  under  and 
through  the  skin  by  means  of  a  needle.  The  thread  is  only  used 
as  a  means  of  introducing  the  color  or  pigment  under  the  epi- 
dermis. 

The  longevity  of  this  people,  on  the  whole,  in  latter  years  is 
not  great.  The  average  duration  of  life  among  them  is  much  less 
than  formerly.  The  time  was,  and  that  not  long  ago,  when  there 
were  many,  very  many  old  people,  but  now  they  are  very  few. 
Old  Ookijoxy  Ninoo,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  once  observed 
to  me  that  there  were  no  Innuits  now  living  who  were  young 
when  she  was.  She  was,  as  I  believe,  over  100  years  old  when  I 
saw  her.  She  died  a  few  months  after  my  departure  for  the  States. 
I  learned  this  last  fall  (1863)  by  one  of  the  American  whalers, 
who  saw  her  son  Ugarng  at  Northumberland  Inlet  two  months 
previous. 

The  Innuit  social  life  is  simple  and  cheerful.  They  have  a  va- 
riety of  games  of  their  own.  In  one  of  these  they  use  a  number 
of  bits  of  ivory,  made  in  the  form  of  ducks,  etc.,  such  as  Samp- 
son's wife  gave  me,  as  just  mentioned.  In  another,  a  simple  string 
is  used  in  a  variety  of  intricate  ways,  now  representing  a  tuktoo, 
now  a  whale,  now  a  walrus,  now  a  seal,  being  arranged  upon  the 
fingers  in  a  way  bearing  a  general  resemblance  to  the  game  known 
among  us  as  "cat's  cradle."  The  people  were  very  quick  in 
•  learning  of  me  to  play  chess,  checkers,  and  dominoes. 

If  an  Innuit  stranger  come  among  them,  an  eflfort  is  made  to 
conform  as  closely  as  possible  to  the  manners  of  the  section  from 
which  he  comes,  for  it  should  be  observed  that  there  exists  a  great 
diversity  of  manners  and  habits  among  the  people  of  different  re- 
gions not  very  far  separated  from  each  other. 

Though  in  old  times  there  were  chiefs  among  the  Innuits,  there 


INNUIT  CIIARACTEU,  CUSTOMS,  ETC.  571 

are  none  now.  There  is  absolutely  no  political  organization 
among  them.  In  every  community,  with  them  as  with  all  the 
rest  of  the  world,  there  is  some  one  who,  in  consideration  of  his 
age,  shrewdness,  or  personal  prowess,  is  looked  up  to,  and  whose 
opinions  are  received  with  more  than  usual  deference;  but  he  has 
no  authority  whatever,  and  an  Innuit  is  subject  to  no  man's  con- 
trol. *  The  people  are  not  naturally  quarrelsome,  and  theft  and 
murder  are  almost  unknown.  When  a  quarrel  arises,  the  two 
parties  keep  aloof  from  each  other,  sometimes  for  a  long  time. 
Sometimes,  however,  a  mutual  and  elderly  friend  arranges  tlie 
matter,  and  then  a  quiet  talk  often  shows  that  the  quarrel — with 
them  as  with  us — was  the  result  of  an  entire  misunderstanding  of 
words  reported  by  gossiping  tongues.  If  a  murder  is  committed, 
it  appears,  from  what  the  Innuits  say,  that  the  nearest  relative  or 
most  intimate  friend  of  the  slain  has  a  right  to  kill  the  murderer ; 
but  this  crime  is  very  rare. 

Innuit  opinions  upon  theological  questions  are  not  easily  ob- 
tained in  an  intelligible  form.  Their  belief  on  some  points  may 
thus  be  very  generally  stated :  There  is  one  Supreme  Being,  call- 
ed by  them  Ang-u-ta,  who  created  the  earth,  sea,  and  heavenly  bod- 
ies. There  is  also  a  secondary  divinity,  a  woman,  the  daughter 
of  Anguta,  who  is  called  Skl-ne.  She  is  supposed  to  have  created 
all  things  having  life,  animal  and  vegetable.  She  is  regarded  also 
as  the  protecting  divinity  of  the  Innuit  people.  To  her  their  sup- 
plications are  addressed ;  to  her  their  offerings  are  made ;  while 
most  of  their  religious  rites  and  superstitious  observances  have 
reference  to  her. 

The  Innuits  believe  in  a  heaven  and  a  hell,  though  their  no- 
tions as  to  what  is  to  constitute  their  happiness  or  misery  here- 
after are  varied  as  one  meets  with  different  communities.  Too- 
koolitosays: 

**  My  people  think  this  way :  Kood-le-par-mi-ung  (heaven)  is  up- 
ward. Every  body  happy  there.  AH  the  time  light ;  no  snow, 
no  ice,  no  storms ;  always  pleasant ;  no  trouble;  never  tired;  sing 
and  play  all  the  time — all  this  to  continue  without  end. 

"^c?-/e-;3ar-we-wn  (hell)  is  downward.  Always  dark  there.  No 
sun ;  trouble  there  continually ;  snow  flying  all  the  time ;  terri- 
ble storms ;  cold,  very  cold ;  and  a  great  deal  of  ice  there.  All 
who  go  there  must  always  remain. 

"All  Innuits  who  have  been  good  go  to  Koodleparmiung ;  that 
is,  who  have  been  kind  to  the  poor  and  hungry — all  who  have 


572  ARCTIC  UESKAUCII  EXPEDITION. 

boeii  happy  while  living  on  this  earth.  Any  ono  who  has  been 
killed  by  accident,  or  who  has  comniitted  suicide,  certainly  goes 
to  the  happy  place. 

"All  Innnits  who  have  been  bard — that  is,  unkind  ono  to  an- 
otlier — all  who  have  been  unhapj))'  while  on  this  earth,  will  go  to 
Adleparnieun.  If  an  Innuit  kill  another  because  ho  is  mad  at 
him,  he  certainly  will  go  to  Adlcparmcun." 

They  have  a  tradition  of  a  deluge,  which  they  attribute  to  an 
umisnaJhj  high  tide.  On  ono  occasion,  when  I  was  speaking  with 
Tookoolito  concerning  her  people,  she  said,  "Innuits  all  think  this 
earth  once  covered  with  water."  I  asked  her  why  tliey  thought 
so.  She  answered,  "  Did  you  never  see  little  stones,  like  clams 
and  such  things  as  live  in  the  sea,  away  up  on  the  mountains?" 

The  subject  of  the  religious  ideas  and  observances  of  the  In- 
nuits is  nearly  connected  with  that  of  their  angckos,  who  have  a 
great  influence  among  these  people,  and  exercise  the  only  author- 
ity to  which  they  in  any  degree  submit.  With  regard  to  these 
angekos,  it  ajipeared  to  me  that  man  or  woman  could  become 
such  if  shrewd  enough  to  obtain  a  mental  ascendency  over  others. 

The  angcko's  business  is  twofold :  he  ministers  in  behalf  of  the 
sick,  and  in  behalf  of  the  community  in  general.  If  a  person  falls 
ill  the  aiigeko  is  sent  for.  He  comes,  and,  before  proceeding  to  his 
peculiar  work,  demands  payment  for  his  services,  stating  his  price, 
usually  some  article  to  which  he  has  taken  a  liking.  Whatever 
he  demands  must  bo  given  at  once,  otherwise  the  expected  good 
result  of  the  miiiistration  would  not  follow. 

When  the  preliminary  arrangements  have  been  satisfactorily 
disposed  of,  the  family  of  the  sick  person  sit  around  the  couch  of 
the  patient,  and  with  earnestness  and  gravity  join  in  the  cere- 
monies. The  angcko  commences  a  talking  and  singing,  the  na- 
ture of  which  it  is  impossible  to  state  more  precisely  than  to  say 
that  it  seems  to  be  a  kind  of  incantation  or  prolonged  supplica- 
tion, perhaps  mingled  with  formulas  which  are  supposed  to  charm 
away  the  disease.  At  intervals  during  this  performance  the  fam- 
ily respond,  frequently  uttering  a  word  corresponding  to  our 
amen.  As  to  medicine,  none  is  ever  prescribed,  nor  do  the  In-  jg, 
nuits  ever  take  any. 

The  duties  of  the  angeko,  with  reference  to  the  community,  con- 
sist in  ankooting  for  success  in  whaling,  walrusing,  sealing,  and 
in  hunting  certain  animals ;  for  the  disappearance  of  ice,  and  for 
the  public  good  in  various  particulars.    These  more  public  min- 


INNUIT  CHARACTER,  CUSTOMS,  ETC.  573 

istrations  arc  accompanied  by  what  sounds  to  a  stranger's  ear  like 
liowling,but  is  doubtless  0.  formula,  citlier  handed  down  by  tradi- 
tion, or  comiioscd  on  the  spot  by  the  angeko,  varying  according 
to  the  talent  of  the  operator.  Some  descriptions  oi  ankooting 
have  been  given  in  the  body  of  this  work. 

Even  Tookoolito  was  not  exempt  from  the  general  belief  in  the 
efficacy  of  the  angcko's  ministrations.  One  day,  when  visiting 
her,  I  found  that  she  had  j)artcd  with  her  cooking-pan,  which  she 
had  always  considered  indispensable  and  of  great  value.  On  in- 
quiry, I  learned  that  she  had  given  it  to  "Jennie,"  a  female  an- 
geko, in  payment  for  her  attendance  upon  Ebierbing  when  sick; 
and,  moreover,  she  had  in  like  manner  given  nearly  all  her  valu- 
able things,  even  to  some  of  her  garments.  I  was  hardly  aston- 
ished, for  I  knew  that  the  Innuits  considered  that  in  proportion 
to  the  value  of  what  they  give  for  an  angcko's  services,  so  are  tlie 
benefits  conferred  upon  the  sick.  "Make  poor  jjay,  and  the  lielp 
is  poor;  good  pay,  and  the  benefit  is  great." 

On  one  occasion  (it  was  at  the  time  wo  were  about  to  start  for 
the  States,  but  were  suddenly  frozen  in  at  the  commencement  of 
the  second  winter),  having  seen  the  angeko  very  busy  ankooting 
on  the  hills,  I  asked  Ebierbing  and  Tookoolito  what  it  was  for. 
They  replied,  "To  try  and  get  the  pack-ice  out  of  the  bay."  It 
may  be  remarked  here  that  this  attempt  to  get  the  ice  out  of  the 
bay  was  caused  by  the  desire  of  the  Innuits  to  have  the  (Jconje 
Henry  leave  the  country,  they  having  become  tired  of  the  pres- 
ence of  the  sailors,  and  being,  perhaps,  somewhat  jealous  of  them. 
On  the  occasion  referred  to,  the  angeko  had  told  the  people  that 
on  a  certain  day  they  were  not  to  do  any  work.  Then,  in  the 
evening,  he  commenced  his  incantations;  and  on  that  day  it  had 
been  noticed  by  the  ship's  company  that  the  Innuits  went  on 
board  the  vessel  in  their  best  attire,  though  no  one  then  knew 
the  cause. 

The  general  deference  to  the  wishes  of  the  angeko  has  some 
exceptions,  though  they  are  rare.  One  such  exception  was  this: 
One  day  in  the  month  of  July,  1861,  the  angeko  Mingumailo,  who 
had  two  wives,  sent  them  from  his  tupic  among  the  mountains 
to  Koojesse,  who  was  then  staying  at  Cape  True,  with  an  order  for 
an  exchange  of  wives.  Now  Koojesse's  wife,  Tutiukderlien — "  Is- 
abel," fls  we  sometimes  called  her — was  something  of  a  belle,  and, 
though  Koojesse  had  been  a  good  disciple  of  the  angeko,  he 
would  not  now  yield  to  his  demands.     He  refused  to  exchange 


574  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

bis  Tunukderlien  for  either  of  the  two  wives  sent  for  his  choice, 
and  the  latter  returned  to  their  husband.  Thereupon  the  ange- 
ko  became  so  enraged  that  he  immediately  came  from  the  mount- 
ains, and  entered  the  village  of  tupics  like  a  demon.  He  first 
tried  to  negotiate  a  peaceable  exchange,  and  then  attempted  by 
threats  to  effect  what  he  wanted.  With  a  loaded  musket  and  a 
large  knife,  he  prowled  all  night  long  around  Koojesse's  tupic, 
trying  to  take  his  life ;  but  Koojesse  had  been  warned,  and  finally 
took  up  his  abode  in  one  of  the  white  men's  tents  near  by.  The' 
next  day  Mate  Sogers  arrived,  and  the  angeko,  fearing  him,  fled 
away  to  his  haunt  in  the  mountains. 

Another  instance  of  inattention  to  the  angeko's  advice  I  will 
relate  here.  One  of  the  former  husbands  of  Suzhi  was  sick. 
The  angeko  said  Kokerjabin,  who  was  at  that  time  the  wife  of 
Sampson,  must  live  with  the  invalid  husband  for  two  or  three 
months,  or  be  would  die  before  spring.  All  the  Innuits  thought 
the  angeko  should  be  obeyed,  but  Kokerjabin  refused  to  comply, 
declaring  that  she  did  not  believe  what  the  angeko  said.  Before 
spring,  Suzhi's  busbai  d  died  as  the  angeko  predicted,  and  there- 
fore all  the  people  despised  Kokerjabin. 

I  will  now  mention  various  customs  which  have  relation  to  the 
religious  belief  of  the  Innuits,  though  many  of  them  can  be  ex- 
plained only  by  the  broad  phrase,  "The  first  Innuits  did  so." 
When  they  kill  a  reindeer,  and  have  skinned  it,  they  cut  off  bits 
of  different  parts  of  the  animal,  and  bury  them  under  a  sod,  or 
some  moss,  or  a  stone,  at  the  exact  spot- where  the  animal  was 
killed.  When  an  Innuit  passes  the  place  where  a  relative  has 
died,  he  pauses  and  deposits  a  piece  of  meat  near  by.  On  one  oc- 
casion, when  traveling  with  Sharkey,  I  saw  him  place  a  bit  of  seal 
under  the  snow  near  an  island  which  we  were  passing.  When  I 
questioned  him,  be  said  that  it  was  done  out  of  respect  for  the 
memory  of  an  uncle  who  bad  died  there. 

When  a  child  dies,  every  thing  it  has  used,  either  as  a  play- 
thing or  in  any  work  it  did,  is  placed  in  or  upon  its  grave.  When 
Tukeliketa,  Tookoolito's  boy,  died  in  this  country,  some  weeks 
after  the  mother  collected  all  his  playthings  and  put  them  upon 
bis  grave.*  Visiting  the  spot  some  time  after,  she  found  that  one 
article,  a  gajdy-p'ainted  little  tin  pail,  had  been  taken  away,  and 
her  grief  was  severe  at  the  discovery.     In  March,  1862,  while  I 

♦  The  remains  of  Tukeliketa  rest  in  Groton,  Connecticut,  In  tlic  biirinl-ground 
near  the  rosidonco  of  Captain  Budington. 


INNUIT  CHARACTER,  CUSTOMS,  ETC.  575 

was  in  the  Northern  country,  the  wife  of  Annawa  found  beneath 
the  tuktoo  bed  of  their  recently  -  deceased  child  a  toy  game-ba»T, 
A  consultation  among  the  Innuits  who  were  then  th'^re  was  held, 
and  the  bag,  together  with  all  the  articles  that  had  been  present- 
ed to  the  child  by  the  ship's  hands  from  time  to  time,  consisting 
of  powder,  shot,  caps,  tobacco,  and  a  pistol,  was  deposited  at  the 
grave  of  their  beloved  boy. 

There  exist  also  among  the  Innuits  many  curious  customs  con- 
nected with  hunting.  They  can  not  go  out  to  take  walrus  until 
they  have  done  working  upon  tuktoo  clothing;  and  after  begin- 
ning the  walrus  hunt,  no  one  is  allowed  to  work  on  reindeer  skips. 
One  day  in  March,  I  wanted  Tookoolito  and  Koodloo's  wife  to 
make  me  a  sleeping-bag  of  tuktoo  skin ;  but  nothing  could  per- 
suade them  to  do  it,  as  it  was  then  walrus  season.  They  "  would 
both  die,  and  no  more  walrus  could  be  caught." 

When  a  walrus  is  caught,  the  captor  must  remain  at  home,  do- 
ing no  work,  for  one  day  ;  if  a  bear  is  killed,  he  must  remain  qui- 
et, in  like  manner,  for  three  days ;  after  the  taking  of  a  whale, 
two  days.  If,  however,  he  is  on  a  hunt  and  game  is  plenty,  the 
Innuit  frequently  keeps  on  at  the  sport,  making  up  all  his  resting 
days  at  the  end  of  the  hunt. 

When  a  seal  is  captured,  a  few  drops  of  water  are  sprinkled  on  • 
its  head  before  it  is  cut  up.     If  there  is  no  water  to  be  had,  the 
man  holds  snow  in  his  hand  till  he  squeezes  out  a  single  drop,  the 
application  of  which  answers  every  purpose. 

Women  are  not  allowed  to  eat  of  the  first  seal  of  the  season, 
and  this  rule  is  so  strictly  enforced  that  they  do  not  feel  at  liberty 
even  to  chew  the  blubber  for  the  sake  of  expressing  the  oil. 
When  Tunukderlien  and  Jennie  were  with  mc  on  my  sledge- 
journey  up  Frobisher  Bay,  the  first  seal  of  the  season  was  caught, 
and  Henry  was  obliged  to  pound  the  blubber  to  obtain  the  oil  we 
needed,  because  the  women  were  not  allowed  to  do  it. 

There  is  a  regular  order  for  cutting  up  a  walrus.    The  first  man 
who  arrives  at  the  captured  animal  cuts  off  the  right  arm  or  flip- 
per;  the  second,  the  left  arm ;  the  third,  the  right  leg  or  flipper* 
the  fourth,  the  left  leg ;  the  fifth,  a  portion  of  the  body,  beginning 
at  the  neck,  and  so  on  till  the  whole  is  disposed  of. 

One  very  curious  custom  among  the  Innuits  is  this :  At  a  time 
of  the  year  .apparently  answering  to  our  Christmas,  they  have  a 
general  meeting  in  a  large  igloo  on  a  certain  evening.  There  the 
angeko  prays  on  behalf  of  the  people  for  the  public  prosperity 


576  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXrEDITION. 

through  the  subsequent  year.  Then  follows  something  like  a 
feast.  The  next  day  all  go  out  into  the  open  air  and  for.a  in  a 
circle ;  in  the  centre  is  placed  a  vessel  of  water,  and  each  member 
of  the  company  brings  a  bit  of  meat,  the  kind  being  immaterial. 
The  circle  being  formed,  each  person  eats  his  or  her  meat  in  si- 
lence, thinking  of  Sidne,  and  wishing  for  good  things.  Then  one 
in  the  circle  takes  a  cup,  dips  up  some  of  the  water,  all  the  time 
thinking  of  Sidne,  and  drinks  it;  and  then,  before  passing  the  cup 
to  another,  states  audibly  the  time  and  the  place  of  his  or  her 
birth.  This  ceremony  is  performed  by  all  in  succession.  Final- 
ly, presents  of  various  articles  are  thrown  from  one  to  another, 
with  the  idea  that  each  will  receive  of  Sidne  good  things  in  pro- 
portion to  the  liberality  here  shown. 

Soon  after  this  occasion,  at  a  time  which  answers  to  our  New 
Year's  day,  two  men  start  out,  one  of  them  being  dressed  to  rep- 
resent a  woman,  and  go  to  every  igloo  in  the  village,  blowing  out 
the  light  in  each.  The  lights  are  afterward  rekindled  from  a  fresh 
fire.  When  Tookoolito  was  asked  the  meaning  of  this,  she  re- 
plied, "  New  sun — new  light,"  implying  a  belief  that  the  sun  was, 
at  that  time  renewed  for  the  year. 

When  one  of  these  meetings  and  outdoor  cer'mionies  took 
place,  I  was  absent  from  the  village  where  most  >. "  my  Innuit 
friends  were  living.  Koojesse,  Sharkey,  and  others  wisned  to  have 
me  sent  for,  thinking  I  would  like  to  be  present;  but  old  Artark- 
paru  objected,  fearing  that  I  should  grow  weary  before  the  cere- 
mony was  complete,  and,  retiring  from  the  circle,  break  the  charm. 
So  I  was  not  sent  for,  but  was  obliged  to  gain  my  information 
from  the  natives. 

The  language  of  this  people  is  peculiar  to  themselves.  They 
have  nothing  written,  and  all  that  they  can  tell  is  derived  from 
oral  tradition,  handed  down  from  parent  to  child  for  many  gener- 
ations. The  pronunciation  of  the  same  words  by  Esquimaux  liv- 
ing a  considerable  distance  apart,  and  having  little  intercourse,  is 
so  different  that  they  can  hardly  understand  each  other  on  com- 
ing together.  It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the  Innuits 
who  came  to  Field  Bay  from  Sekoselar,  or  any  other  place  on 
the  northern  shores  of  Hudson's  Strait,  could  make  themselves 
understood  by  Innuits  residing  north  of  them.  Sometimes  Innu- 
its arrive  from  Igloolik  (which  is  at  the  entrance  to  the  Strait  of 
Fury  and  Ilecla),  at  Northumberland  Inlet,  and  it  takes  a  long 
time  for  the  two  parties  to  understand  each  ether.    Still  more  dif- 


•/ 


INNUIT  CHARACTER,  CUSTOMS,  ETC.         577 

ficult  is  it  for  a  Greenland  native  to  be  understood  by  those  on 
the  west  side  of  Davis's  Strait.  The  Innuits  with  whom  I  was 
acquainted  could  count  only  ton,  as  follows : 


At-tou-sen,    one. 
Muk-ko,         two. 
Ping-a-su-it,  three. 
Tes-sa-men,   four. 
Ted-la-men,  five. 


Ok-bin-er-poon,  six. 
Mok-ke-nik,        seven. 
Ping-a-su-nik,    eight. 
Tes-sa-men-ik,    nine. 
Kood-lin,  ten. 


However,  there  was  this  exception :  Koooulearng  (Suzhi),  whose 
native  place  was  on  the  north  side  of  Hudson's  Strait,  could  count 
to  twenty.  She  said  that  all  the  people  of  her  country — meaning 
Kar-mo-wong,  which  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  strait — could  do 
the  same.  By  signs — that  is,  by  throwing  open  the  fingers,  In- 
nuits every  where  can  and  do  count  much  larger  numbers. 

The  dress  of  the  Innuits  is  made  of  the  skins  of  reindeer  and 
of  seals ;  the  former  for  winter,  the  latter  for  summer.  The  jack- 
et is  round,  with  no  opening  in  front  or  behind,  but  is  slipped  on 
and  off  over  the  head.  It  is  close-fitting,  but  not  tight.  It  comes 
as  low  as  the  hips,  and  has  sleeves  reaching  to  the  wrists.  The 
women  have  a  long  tail  to  their  coat  reaching  nearly  to  the 
ground.  These  jackets  are  often  very  elaborately  ornamented. 
In  one  of  my  visits  to  Sampson,  I  noticed  that  his  wife's  jacket 
was  trimmed  thus :  Across  the  nv;ck  of  the  jacket  was  a  fringe  of 
beads — eighty  pendents  of  red,  blue,  black,  and  white  glass  beads, 
forty  beads  on  each  string.  Bowls  of  Britannia  metal  tea-spoons 
and  table-spoons  were  on  the  flap  hanging  in  front.  A  row  of 
elongated  lead  shot  ran  around  the  border  of  the  tail.  Six  pairs  of 
federal  copper  cents,  of  various  dates,  were  pendant  down  the  mid- 
dle of  the  tail ;  and  a  huge  brass  bell,  from  an  old-fashioned  clock, 
was  at  the  top  of  the  row  of  cents. 

On  another  occasion,  Tweroong,  the  wife  of  Miner,  came  on 
board  with  a  dress  made  of  the  fur  of  very  young  deer,  with  a 
spencer  of  reindeer  hair  cut  off  short,  and  so  evenly  that  I  could 
not  well  understand  how  it  was  done.  I  made  her  a  present  of  a 
lady's  hand  dressing-glass,  which  sent  her  into  ecstasies,  especially 
when  she  found  it  would  enable  her  better  to  arrange  her  hair. 

All  the  jackets  have  a  hood  made  at  the  back  for  carrying  their 
children  or  covering  their  heads  in  cold  weather.  In  winter  they 
wear  two  jackets:  the  exterior  one  with  the  hair  outside,  the  in- 
ner one  with  the  hair  next  to  the  body.  Before  the  men  enter 
into  the  main  igloo  they  take  off  the  outer  part  of  their  jackets, 

Oo 


678 


ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 


and  place  the  same  in  a  recess  made  in  the  snow  wall  of  Lho  pas- 
sage-way. , 

Their  breeches  reach  below  the  knee,  and  arc  fastened  with  a 
string  drawn  tightly  around  the  lower  part  of  t  iC  waist.  Those 
worn  by  the  women  arc  put  on  in  throe  iDicccs,  each  leg  and  the 
body  forming  separate  parts. 

The  fall  winter  dress  for  the  feet  consists  of,  1st.  Long  stockings 
of  reindeer  fur,  with  the  hair  next  the  person  ;  2d.  Socks  of  the 
eider  duck  skins,  with  the  feathers  on  and  inside ;  3d.  Socks  of 
sealskin,  with  the  hair  outside ;  -ith.  Kumings  [native  boots],  with 
legs  of  tuktoo,  the  fur  outside,  and  the  soles  of  ookgook. 

All  wear  mittens,  though  the  women  generally  wear  only  one, 
and  that  on  the  right  hand ;  the  left  is  drawn  within  the  sleeve. 
Finger-rings  and  head-bands  of  polished  brass  also  form  part  of 
the  female  costume. 

The  Innuits  show  a  re- 
markable sagacity  in  stud- 
ying the  habits  of  their 
animals,  and  gaining  there- 
from lessons  of  value  for 
their  own  guidance.  They 
observe  how  the  seal  con- 
structs its  igloo  or  snow 
hut,  and  their  own  winter 
dwelling  is  formed  upon 
this  model.  The  accom- 
panying illustration  gives 
a  sectional  view  of  a  seal's 
hole  and  igloo,  with  the 
young  one  lying  within, 
and  the  mother  coming  up 
to  visit  it.  By  the  time 
the  sun  melts  off  the  cov- 
ering snow,  exposing  and 
destroying  the  dome  of  the 
igloo,  the  young  seal  is 


NO.  1,  8ECTI0KAL  VIEW  OF  SEAL  U01.B  AM>  bKAL  lULlH).* 


*  The  horizontal  lines  extending  across  the  lower  ])art  of  the  engraving  represent 
the  sea-water,  us  do  the  short  lines  running  in  the  same  direction  within  the  seal 
hole  which  is  through  the  ice.  Tlie  ice  is  represented  by  the  perpendicular  lines  on 
either  side  of  the  seal  hole.  Resting  on  the  ice  are  a  young  seal  and  the  igloo,  the 
latter  shown  by  the  dark  half  circle.    On  either  side  and  above  the  igloo  is  the  snow 


V 


INNUIT  CHARACTER,  CUSTOMS,  ETC. 


579 


:^  ready  to  take  care  of  itself. 

*'  The  second  engraving  rep- 
resents a  seal  that  lias  just 
come  up  through  the  wa- 
ter to  its  brcathing-liole, 
which  is  covered  by  snow. 
Above  it  sits  an  Iniuiit, 
who  has  pierced  the  snow 
with  his  spear  just  over  the 
seal's  hole  in  the  ice,  and 
who  watches  till  he  hears 
the  animal  puff,  then  quick- 
ly and  almost  unerring\_^ 
strikes. 

From  the  polar  bear,  too, 
I  he  Innuits  learn  much. 
The  manner  of  approach- 
ing the  seal  which  is  on  the 
ice  by  its  hole  basking  in 
the  sunshine  is  from  him. 
The  bear  lies  down  and 
crawls  by  hitches  toward 

covering  the  sea-ice.  Before  the  Iploo  is  made,  the  prospective  motlicr,  to  get  licr- 
sclf  upon  the  ice,  scratches  away  the  inverted  tunuel-like-slinped  ice,  as  seen  in  the 
second  engraving.  Tiie  igloo  is  then  made  by  the  seal  scratching  an  excavation 
from  the  snow  with  the  sharp,  lady-like  nails  with  which  its  fore  fii])pers  arc  armed, 
tlie  excavated  snow  being  taken  down  beneath  tiio  thick  ice  from  time  to  time  by 
the  sell.  Soon  after  tliis  house  is  jirepared  a  little  seal  is  born.  Seal  igloos  are 
made  about  the  1st  of  Aiiril,  the  time  when  the  "])up])ing"  season  commences. 
None  but  very  sharp-scented  animals  can  iiiul  these  igloos,  and  they  are  the  seals' 
worst  enemies.  These  animals  are  the  jmlar  bear,  the  fox,  and  the  seal-dog.  The 
latter,  however,  siin])ly  scent  out  the  igloo,  leaving  the  master  to  catch  the  game, 
while  the  bear  and  fox  not  only  find,  but  capture  it.  AVhen  the  dog  has  led  his  mas- 
ter to  the  secret  seal  lodge  beneath  the  snow,  the  man  retreats  from  fifteen  to  twen- 
ty paces,  and  then  runs  forward  swiftly,  leajiing  high  and  far  on  concluding  his  race. 
As  he  comes  down  he  crushes  in  the  dome,  and  (piickly  thrusts  his  seal  hook  this  way 
and  that  around  in  the  igloo,  till  ho  Las  the  young  seal  quivering  in  the  agonies  of 
death. 

*  The  water,  ice,  and  snow  of  the  second  engraving  are  represented  in  like  man- 
ner as  in  the  preceding  one.  The  appearance  of  the  seal  hole,  and  the  bed  of  snow 
above,  as  they  are  during  the  winter  season  till  about  the  1st  of  April,  is  well  repre- 
sented. The.  sealer  is  awaiting  the  seal's  blow.  It  is  time  he  was  up  and  ready  to 
strike,  for  as  soon  as  a  seal  has  its  nose  out  of  the  water,  as  the  one  here  represent- 
ed, its  puffing  noise  is  heard.  When  the  sealer,  by  the  aid  of  his  dopr,  has  foimd  the 
seal  hole,  he  has  sometimes  to  watch  there  two  or  three  days  and  nights.    The  dog 


KO.   •-',  BLCTIU.NAI.   VlliW   Ol'   bli.VL  llOUS.* 


580  ARCTIC  UESEAliCU  EXI'EDITION. 

the  seal,  "talking"  to  it,  as  the  Inriuits  say,  till  ho  is  'within  strik- 
ing distance,  then  he  pounces  upon  it  with  a  single  jump.  The 
natives  say  that  if  they  could  "talk"  as  well  as  the  bear,  they 
could  catch  many  more  seals. 

The  procedure  of  the  bear  is  as  follows :  lie  proceeds  very  cau- 
tiously toward  the  black  speck  far  off  on  the  ice,  which  he  knows 
to  be  a  seal.  "When  still  a  long  way  from  it,  he  throws  himself 
down  on  his  side,  and  hitches  himself  along  toward  his  game. 
The  seal  meanwhile  is  taking  its  naps  of  about  ten  seconds  each, 
ultimately  raising  its  head  and  surveying  the  entire  horizon  be- 
fore composing  itself  again  to  brief  slumber.  As  soon  as  it  raises 
its  head  the  bear  "  talks,"  keeping  perfectly  still.  The  seal,  if  it 
see^  any  thing,  sees  but  the  head,  which  it  takes  for  that  of  an- 
other seal.  It  sleeps  again.  Again  the  bear  hitches  himself  along, 
and  once  more  the  seal  looks  around,  only  to  be  "  talked"  to  again 
and  again  deceived.  Thus  the  pursuit  goes  on  till  the  seal  is 
caught,  or  till  he  makes  his  escape,  which  it  seldom  does. 

In  Chapter  XXXII.  there  occurs  a  description  of  the  manner 
in  which  a  young  seal  is  often  used  to  lure  the  mother  within 
striking  distance  of  the  hunter.  This  is  copied  by  the  Innuits 
from  the  habits  of  the  polar  bear.  This  animal  finds  by  his  keen 
scent  where  a  seal's  igloo  has  been  built  under  the  snow.  lie 
then  goes  back  a  little  distance,  runs  and  jumps  with  all  his  weight 
upon  the  dome,  breaks  it  down,  and  immediately  thrusts  in  his 
paw  and  seizes  the  young  seal.  Then,  holding  it  by  one  of  its 
hind  flippers,  he  scoops  away  all  the  snow  from  the  seal  hole  lead- 
ing up  through  the  ice  into  the  igloo,  and  afterward  allows  the 
young  one  to  flounder  about  in  the  water.  When  the  old  seal 
comes  up,  the  bear  draws  the  young  one  slyly  on  toward  him,  till 
the  anxious  mother  gets  within  reach,  when  he  seizes  her  with  his 
other  paw. 

The  natives  tell  many  most  interesting  anecdotes  of  the  bear, 

has  indicated  the  precise  point  within  n  circle  of  about  ten  inches  in  diameter.  Tiie 
sealer,  therefore,  thrusts  the  spindle  of  his  seal-spear  down  through  the  hard  snow, 
seeking  to  find  the  breathing-liole,  wiiich  is  not  more  than  one  to  two  inches  in  di- 
ameter. After  pcrha])s  a  dozen  attempts,  he  finally  strikes  the  hole.  Now  he  care- 
fully withdraws  his  sjiear,  and  marks  with  his  eye  the  hole,  which  leads  down  through 
perhaps  eighteen  to  twenty-four  inches  depth  of  snow.  When  now  he  hears  the  seal, 
he  raises  his  spear,  and  strikes  unerringly  through  the  snow  to  the  seal's  head.  The 
animal  at  once  dives,  and  runs  out  the  full  length  of  the  line,  one  end  of  which  is  fast 
in  the  hand  of  the  sealer.  He  proceeds  to  cut  away  the  deep  snow,  and  to  chisel 
the  ice  so  as  to  enlarge  the  top  of  the  seal  hole,  from  which  he  soon  draws  forth  his 
prize. 


INNUIT  CIIAUACTlill,  CUSTOMS,  ETC. 


581 


showing  tliat.  tbey  arc  accustomed  to  watch  liis  movements  close- 
ly, lie  has  a  very  ingenious  way  of  killing  the  walrus,  which  is 
representoil  in  the  accompanying  engraving. 


^3^«|; 


rOLAIi   IIKAU   KII.LINU   A    WALKUH, 


In  August,  every  fine  day,  the  walrus  makes  his  way  to  the 
shore,  draws  liis  huge  body  up  on  the  rocks,  and  basks  in  the 
sun.  If  this  happen  near  the  base  of  a  clifl",  the  ever-watchful 
bear  takes  advantage  of  the  circumstance  to  attack  this  formida- 
ble game  in  this  way:  The  bear  mounts  the  cliff,  and  throws 
.down  upon  the  animal's  head  a  large  rock,  calculating  the  distance 
and  the  curve  with  astonishing  accuracy,  and  thus  crushing  the 
thick,  bullet-proof  skull. 

If  the  walrus  is  not  instantly  killed — simply  stunned — the  bear 
rushes  downi  to  the  walrus,  seizes  the  rock,  and  hammers  away  at 
the  head  till  the  skull  is  broken.  A  fat  feast  follows.  Unless 
the  bear  is  very  hungry,  it  eats  only  the  blubber  of  the  walrus, 
seal,  and  whale. 

The  bear  can  catch  a  seal  in  the  water.  He  sees  it,  drops  his 
body  beneath  the  surface,  allowing  only  his  head  to  be  visible, 
that  having  the  appearance  of  a  piece  of  ice.     AVhilc  the  seal  has 


582  AllCTIC  RESEAUCU  EXPEDITION. 

its  head  abovo  water,  and  is  looking  around,  the  bear  sinks,  swims 
under  it,  and  clutches  it  from  beneath. 

When  the  sea-ice  begins  to  make,  wo  will  say  about  the  middle 
of  October  to  the  1st  of  November,  the  female  bear  captures  and 
kills  several  seals,  which  she  hides  away  among  the  hummocks. 
Then  she  retires  to  the  land  and  eats  moss,  tiie  object  being 
to  produce  an  internal  mechanical  obstruction  called  "  tappcn." 
After  this  she  goes  to  her  deposits  of  meat,  and  feasts  upon  seal- 
blubber  to  her  utmost  limit  of  expansion.  She  is  now  ready  for 
retiring  to  her  winter's  home,  which  is  generally  an  excavation 
she  has  "  chiseled  out"  of  a  glacier.  Some  time  after  entering  she 
brings  forth  her  young,  which  sometimes  number  one,  more  fre- 
quently two,  and  sometimes  three.  In  this  crystal  nursery  she 
continues  exercising  her  progeny  daily  by  walking  them  to  and 
fro  till  about  tlie  1st  of  April,  at  which  time  seals  begin  to  bring 
forth  their  young.  The  bear  family  then  walks  forth,  the  matron 
snufhng  the  air.  Perhaps  it  is  charged  with  seal-scent.  She  then 
follows  up  the  scent  till  it  brings  her  to  a  seal  igloo.  When  she 
is  satisfied  that  all  is  right  below,  she  prepares  herself,  gives  a  fear- 
ful leap — high  and  far — striking  forcibly  with  her  paws  upon  the 
roof,  crushing  it  in,  and  seizing  the  young  occupant  of  the  house, 
soon  making  of  it  a  dainty  feast  for  the  young  polars. 

It  is  a  custom  among  the  Innuits,  dating  from  time  immemo- 
rial, that  whoever  first  sees  a  Ninoo  is  entitled  to  the  skin,  no 
matter  whether  the  fortunate  person  be  man,  woman,  or  child. 
If  the  captured  bear  is  a  male,  his  bladder,  witli  certain  instru- 
ments belonging  to  the  men,  must  be  j)laced  for  thite  days  on  the 
top  of  the  igloo  or  tupic.  If  the  bear  be  a  female,  her  bladder, 
with  one  of  the  women's  brass  head-ornaments  and  some  beads, 
must  be  hung  in  like  manner. 

Tlie  Innuits  show  a  remarkable  degree  of  ingenuity  in  all  the 
operations  of  life,  and  an  astonishing  readiness  in  emergencies. 
They  thoroughly  know  their  waters  and  coasts.  An  illustration 
of  this  is  shown  in  the  accompany  ing/ac-s«mi7e  of  a  chart  made  by 
Kooperneu.ng,  which  I  have  in  my  possession. 

When  traveling  with  a  sledge  they  are  accustomed  to  coat  the 
bottom  of  the  runners  with  ice,  thus  making  a  shoe  which  is 
smoother  than  any  thing  else  that  could  be  invented.  The  man- 
ner of  performing  this  operation  is  curious.  The  sledge  is  turned 
bottom  up,  and  the  Innuit  fills  his  mouth  with  water  in  which  has 
been  mingled  a  little  seal's  blood,  in  order  to  give  it  tenacity.     He 


'*,\' 


INNUIT  CIIABACTliU,  CUSTOMS,  ETC. 


583 


ESQUIMAUX  CHART,  No.  2, 

VtKVrV  BY  KOOPKBNEUNU  (dllABLEY)  WIIILB  Wl  WEAK  AT  OAPE  TRCB,  ACOrBT,  1903. 


"c^^ 


^J\ 


'{s 


O 


H 


A.  FrobishcrBny. 

B.  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound. 

C.  Ltipton  Channel,  whicli  leads  down  to  Bear  Sound.    On  the 
riRlit  is  Lok's  Land ;  on  the  left,  Bache's  Peninsula. 

D.  Cyras  W.  Field  Bay. 

E.  Cornelius  Grinnoll  Bay. 

F.  Robinson  Sound. 

G.  Resolution  Isles. 
H.  Hudson's  Strait. 

X.  Capo  True,  on  Blunt's  Peninsula. 


y  v 


684  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  EXPEDITION. 

then  Bends  it  out  in  a  fine,  well  -  directed,  and  evenly  •  applied 
stream  upon  the  runner,  where  it  at  once  congeals.  When,  after 
some  hours'  travel,  the  coating  is  worn  away,  it  is  renewed  in  the 
same  manner.  But  the  vpestion  naturally  arises.  How  can  the 
water  be  carried  without  freezing?  The  Innuit  does  this  by  fill- 
ing a  bag  of  sealskin  or  ookgook  bladder,  and  slipping  it  down  be- 
tween his  shoulders,  under  his  clothing,  the  warmth  of  his  body 
keeping  it  liquid. 

Once,  while  I  was  on  a  sledge-journey  with  Koojesse,  I  was  suf- 
fering from  thirst,  and  we  had  no  water.  KoojcsSc  turned  aside, 
and  went  olf  with  his  seal-spear  upon  a  little  fresh-water  pond. 
I  knew  that  the  ice  there  would  naturally  be  ten  feet  thick  at  that 
season,  and  therefore  wondered  how  he  expected  to  find  water. 
After  looking  about  carefully  for  some  time,  he  selected  a  place 
where  the  snow  seemed  to  be  very  deep,  and  there,  after  clearing 
it  away,  he  struck  with  his  spear  upon  the  ice,  and  very  soon 
made  a  hole  through  which  he  obtained  water.  When  I  inquired 
about  it,  1  learned  that  a  heavy  body  of  snow  falling  upon  the  ice 
would  press  it  down,  allowing  the  wuter  to  come  up  and  collect 
above  it.  The  surface  of  this  collected  water  would  freeze,  form- 
ing a  comparatively  thin  coating  of  ice,  but  leaving  a  reservoir  of 
water  inclosed,  which  could  be  easily  reached,  as  I  found  to  my 
relief 

On  another  occasion,  while  traveling  in  a  bitter  cold  day,  facing 
a  cutting  breeze,  I  found  great  difficulty  in  keeping  the  lower 
parts  of  my  body  from  freezing.  The  Innuits  saw  me  trying  to 
shield  myself  and  gain  additional  warmth  by  adjusting  a  thickly- 
folded  scarf;  this  they  took  from  me,  made  it  into  a  girdle,  and 
tied  it  tightly  round  my  body  just  above  the  hips.  This  restored 
warmth  to  me  at  once,  and  warded  off  the  danger  of  freezing. 


APPENDIX. 


I. 

Tlie  Present  of  the  llescue. — Pago  20. 

This  truly  noble  net  was  doiiu  at  tlic  siitJKcsiion  of  Henry  (Jriiinrll.  llo  first  con. 
ueivcil  tlic  idea;  proposed  it  to  tiiu  United  Stiites  novernnient ;  afterward,  nt  tlic  iir- 
Kcnt  recjuest  of  tiio  Secretary  of  State,  Mr.  Marey,  cordially  co-operating  with  it  in 
the  matter,  and  fnrnishiiiK  the  most  vuliialile  assistance,  Mis  (,'enerous  lalxiis  in  he- 
hulf  of  this  important  iiroject,  already  acknowledged  in  u  highly  thiitcrinK  nminier 
by  England,  nro  too  well  known  to  require  from  mo  more  tlmu  this  passing  trihiite. 

II. 

Sums  j)iii(i  on  Account  of  the  Arctic  Research  Expedition, — Page  DO. 
It  is  but  justice  to  record  here  the  fact  that  the  following  parties  made  out  their 

bills,  as  below,  for  articles  sold  to  the  expedition  at  cost  or  less  than  cost  price. 
1800, 

•Afay  22.  James  Green,  of  New  York,  2  self-registering  thermometers .*3  00 

"      "     Anson  Baker  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  (i  guns,  1  rille,  duplicate  locks, 

etc 1,")'.)  00 

"    23.  John  II.  Brower  &  Co.,  New  York,  2:12  IbM.  Borden's  meat-biscuit     ;!0  00 
'•      "     Stack])ole  and  Brother,  New  York,  jiocket  .sextant,  artificial  hori- 
zon, mercury,  and  2  pocket  com]insscs 58  ."jO 

"    24.  G.W.  Rogers,  New  London,  Conn.,  cxi)edition  boat 10.".  00 

"      *'    Wytte  &  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.,  meat  for  pcmmiean 171  oO 

"      "     Geo.  II.  Hill  &,  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.,  beef  suet  for  iiemmiean .V.>  r.O 

'■     "    n.  W.  Stevenson,  Cincinnati,  O.,  meat  cans 10  50 

"     "     Hall's  expenses  from  Cincinnati  to  I'hiladeliitiia,  Now  York,  and 

New  London,  and  return  (in  February  and  March,  18C>0) 5,")  00 

"      "     1  cord  of  wood  for  drying  meat 5  00 

"     "     Man  for  attending  to  drying  meat 8  00 

'•      "     \V.  E.  Alcorn,  Cincinnati,  O.,  canvas  for  sledge 2  00 

"      "     Brooks  &  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.,  carpenters' work 5  50 

"     Sundries,  express  hire,  etc .' 22  00 

"    2G.  Cooper  and  Pond,  New  York,  pistol,  percussion  cnjis,  etc 19  00 

'•    27.  N.  D.  Smith,  New  London statii)ncry $3  77)        «  „,, 

9  pocket-knives..  i5»2  25) 
"    28.  Arnold  and  Beebe,  New  London,  suit  of  sails  and  awning  for  boat    20  00 

"    "    J.  &  G.  W.  Crandcir,  New  London,  woolen  shirts 7  00 

'■    "    L.  Corthell,  New  London,  200  lbs.  lead 10  00 

"     "     Samuel  Dennis,  of  New  London,  knives,  etc., 10  00 

"    29.  Shepard  &  Harris,  of  New  London,  clothing,  etc 45  51 

Carried  over $805  03 


58tl  APPENDIX. 

1800.  Brought  over $805  03 

May  29.  IIiirri«,  Williams  &  Co.,  New  London,  in\)cs  and  tobacco 20  00 

"     "    Anson  Clmse,  New  London,  shot,  powder-flasks,  shot  -  pouches, 

caps,  etc 40  98 

"     "    1).  B.  Ilcinpsted,  Now  London,  bends  and  marine  glass 13  0(1 

"     ''     Smith  &  Grace,  New  London,  "conjurer,"  etc 3  28 

"     "    J.  U.  Curry  &  Co.,  New  London,  "  Resolute"  sextant 20  .50 

Nautical  Almanacs,  Indin-rubher  clu.rt  cover,  freight  bill,  hotel  bill, 

team  of  dogs  bought  at  Ilolsteinborg,  Greenland .'")2  2.") 

Sundry  expenses „ 24  90 

Total $980  00 

Donations  to  the  Avclk  Research  Exjiedilion,  1800.  • 

Henry  Grinnell,  N.  Y i|;U;5  00  i  B.  Matlack,  Cincinnati,  O |30  00 

Augustus  n.  Ward,  N.  Y 100  00   John  IM'Lean,  Cincinnati,  0 30  00 

Cyrus  W.  Field,  N.  Y .'"<0  00   Bcnj.  Kgglcslon,  Cincinnati,  O.  .  30  00 

K,  M.  Bishop,  Cincinnati,  O .'U)  00  ;  Mitchell  &  Hammelsberp,  Cinn., 

Miles  Greenwood,  Cincinnati,  O.     30  00  !      Ohio 30  00 

George  II.  Hill,  Cincinnati,  O. . .     30  00  I  ScUcw  &  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O .I  00 

John  D.  Jones,  Cincinnati,  0 30  00  i  Mr.  Lincoln,  Cincinnati,  0 10  00 

John  \V.  Kllis,  Cincinnati,  O.  . . .     30  00  [  Jose]))!  K.  Smith,  Cincinnati,  O. .  r,  00 

Geo.  Dominick,  Cincinnati,  0.. .     30  00    Col.  John  Johnston,  Cincinnati. .  10  00 

Jacob  Hesor,  Cincinnati,  () 30  00  [  J.  Ogdcn,  Cincinnati,  () .5  00 

Wynne,  Hayncs  &  Co.,  Cinn.,  O.  30  00 
William  Wiswell,  Cincinnati,  O.  30  00 
James  Lupton,  Cincinnati,  O 30  00 


A.  G.  W.  Carter,  Cincinnati,  O! .       5  00 

Jlrs.  C.  F.  Hall,  Cincinnati,  O.  . .     27  00 

Total #980  00 


Williams  &  Haven,  of  New  London,  Conn.,  passage  out  in  the  bark  "George 
Henrv,"  and  transjiort  of  cx]iedition  boat,  stores,  etc.  Free  |)assagc  home  of  myself, 
with  a  family  of  Esquimaux,  consisting  of  man,  wife,  and  child. 

Hazard  Powder  Co.,  New  York,  2,")0  lbs.  rifle  powder. 

Marshall  Lcflcrts,  New  York,  800  lbs  shot. 

J.  N.  Harris,  New  London,  Conn.,  hardware,  $22. 

F.  L.  Knecland,  New  York,  keg  of  rifle  powder. 

Thomas  H.  Bates  &  Co.,  New  York,  fi.sh-hooks,  9  m.  needles,  and  2  dozen  sewing- 
cushions. 

M'Allister  &  Brother,  Philadelphia,  spy-glass. 

J.  &  B.  Bruce.  Cincinnati,  O.,  making  sledge. 

Rover,  Simonton  &  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.,  furnishing  material  for  sledge. 

George  T.  Jones  &  Thomas  H.  Newell,  Cincinnati,  O.,  2  blank  journal  books  made 
of  bank-note  paper. 

Hanilen  &  Smith,  Cincinnati,  O.,  1  dirk  and  n  tooth  extractor. 

Dr.  O.  E.  Newton  and  Allen  &  Sons,  Cincinnati,  O.,  chest  of  medicines. 

C.  F.  Bradley,  Cincinnati,  O..  gold  pen. 

J.  L.  Wayne,  Cincinnati,  O.,  half  a  dozen  small  butcher  knives. 

Lowell  Fletcher,  Cincinnati,  O.,  10  gallons  alcohol,  9.')  per  cent,  proof. 

Henry  AVarc,  Cincinnati,  O.,  pocket  compass. 

Kobert  Chiike  &  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.,  "  Gillesiiie's  Land  Surveying." 

Dr.  1).  N.  Daniels,  Cincinnati,  ().,  1  trunk. 

Dr.  Howe,  Cincinnati,  ().,  a  valuable  surgical  work. 

Charles  G.  AIi;rris,  Cinciimati,  O.,  i)rinting. 


Ari'ENDix.  587 

George  S.  Blanchanl,  Cincinimti,  O.,  "  Princiiiles  of  Zoology." 

David  Christy,  CiiicinniUi,  O.,  Geological  Chart  of  thu  Arctic  RcKions,  by  himself 

James  Lupton,  Cincinnati,  O.,  2  vols.  "Scoresby's  Arctic  liegions,"  1  fine  pocket 
knife. 

Benjamin  Pike  &  Sons,  New  York,  3  thermometers,  I  azimuth  compass. 

Benjamin  Kittiedge  &  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.,  silver  alarm-whistle  and  dirk-knife. 

Z.  B.  Coffin,  Cinemnati,  O.,  1  lb.  tea. 

Cliarles  Lawrence,  Cincinnati,  O.,  2G  lbs.  best  powder.* 

Mr.  Robinson,  Cincinnati,  O.,  use  of  malt-kiln  for  desiccating  meat  for  pcmniican. 

George  H.  Hill  &  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.  putting  up  pcmmicau  in  cans. 

John  W.  Ellis,  Cincinnati,  O.,  Labrau.  •  seal-boots. 

Baker  &  Co.,  New  York,  2  dozen  pocket-knife  blades,  1  glass  flask,  3  dozen  haml 
looking-glasses,  3000  common  percussion  caps. 

Amor  Smith,  Cincinnati,  O.,  grinding  penimican. 

American  Express  Company,  free  transportation  of  pcmniican,  sledge,  and  case 
of  books,  from  Cincinnati,  O.,  to  New  York  City. 

Adams  and  Co.'s  Express,  transport  of  the  same  from  New  York  to  New  London, 
Conn. 

In  addition  to  those  in  preceding  list,  the  following  are  names  Of  persons  who  ren- 
dered me  service  in  forwarding  the  interests  of  the  expedition  : 
Salmon  P.  Chase,  then  Governor  of  Oiiio. 
George  IL  Pugh,  then  United  Status  Senator  from  Ohio. 
Richard  IL  Chai)ell,  New  London,  Conn. 

\V.  IL  Clement,  President  Little  Miami  and  Columbus  and  Xenia  Railroad. 
E,  and  G.  W.  Blunt,  New  York. 

Frank  Clark,  Superintendent  American  Express  Coni])any,  Cincinnati,  O. 
Charles  G.  Clark,  Superintendent  American  Express  Company,  New  York. 
John  Hoey,  Superintendent  Adams  Ex])ress  Company,  New  York. 
Dudley  Field,  attorney  at  law.  New  York. 
Willi^im  M.  Grinncll,  ntlorney  at  law,  New  York. 
Sidney  O.  Budington,  Groton,  Conn. 
Cornelius  Vandcrbilt,  New  York. 
William  M.  Edwards,  New  York. 

A.  Brewster,  Norwich,  Conn. 

B.  S.  Osbon,  New  York. 
William  C.  Il.Waddcll,  New  York. 

American  Geogra]iliical  and  Statistical  Society  of  New  York. 

Samuel  Robinson,  Cincinnati,  O. 

William  A.  Brooks,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Associated  Press  of  Cincinnati,  O. 

Young  Men's  Mercantile  Association,  Cincinnati,  0. 

Associated  Press  of  New  York.  • 

William  S.  Canijibell,  Pliiladelphia,  Pa. 

George  W.  Childs,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Little  Miami  and  Columbns  and  Xenia  Railroad  Company. 

Pennsylvania  Railroad  Comijnny. 

Cleveland  and  Pittsburg  Railroad  Company. 

Central  Ohio  Railroad  Coiujiany. 

'  Could  not  accept  this  (lonatlon,  as  no  mentis  of  tmnHjioit  for  so  Iinzm-ilous  im  luficlo  imilil  lie 
procured. 


688  APPENDIX. 

Steubenville  and  Imlinna  Riiilrond  Company. 
Tclegraiili  Company  between  Cincinnati  and  New  York, 
Tclcjrraph  Company  between  New  York  and  l'iuhidel|)liia. 
Tclegrnpii  Company  between  New  York  and  Now  London. 
Governor  Banncrman,  St.  Joinus,  Newfoundland. 
Converse  O.  Loach,  United  States  Consul,  St.  John's,  Newfoundland. 
A.  M.  Mackay,  Superintendent  New  York  and  Newfoundland  Telegraph  Company, 
St.  John's,  Newfoundland. 

Robert  Winton,  editor  and  proprietor  "  Daily  News,"'  St.  John's,  Newfoundland. 
Francis  Winton,  editor  and  proprietor  "Day  Book,"  St.  Jolni'si,  Newfoundland. 
Mrs.  S.  Knight,  of  the  Knight  House,  St.  Joim's,  Newfoundland. 
Mrs.  Warrington,  of  the  Union  Hotel,  St.  John's,  Newfoundland. 
J.  C.  Toussaint,  of  thc' Hotel  de  Paris,  St.  John's,  Newfouiullaml. 
Kenneth  M'Lea,  merchant,  St.  John's,  Newfoundland. 

III. 

Danish  Currency. — Page  52. 
The  Danish  doHar,  at  the  time  of  writing  (1800),  was  worth  fifty-five  cents  of 
Aninri'  an  money. 
The  following;  is  the  interpretation  of  the  Danish  of  the  six  skillingnotc  on  i)age  54; 

"No.  G  .skillings  C[ountryJ  nifoncy],  24.10. 
"This  order  is  good  for  Six  Skillings  Country  Currency  at  the  Conimorcial  Towns 
iu  Greenland.  Copenhagen,  \KM. 

U  JJ     «     *    ♦     *_ 

''■Xolcd  [in  the  Registry  or  Records], 
li  j^  *  *  »  *  *_)' 

One  of  tlicsc  skillings  is  worth  about  hnJ/a  cent.  U.  S.  federal  money. 

IV. 

Phn-ma-in.,  or  Chiefs. — Pago  101. 

"  Pim-ma-in,"  a  term  used  in  former  times  among  the  Innuits  for  the  principal 
man  (or  chief)  among  them.  It  is  now  obsolete,  as  there  arc  no  chiefs  or  rulers 
among  them.     Every  man  is  now  on  an  o(piality  one  with  another. 

V. 

Frohishcr's  "  ^o^r*'."— Pago  182. 
The  matter  of  the  Frobisher  "gold"  or  iron  is  sufliciently  treated  of  in  the  body 
of  the  work,  on  page  437. 

VI. 

The  Wrech  afthe  George  Henry. — Page  145, 
The  following  account  of  the  wreck  of  the  Groi-fie,  Henry  apjieared  in  a  New  Lon- 
don journal  shortly  after  the  occurrence  of  the  disaster  to  which  it  relates: 

"  ( 'aplain  Christopher  B.  Chapelt,  of  Norwich  Town,  has  arrived  in  the  bnrk  ^^on- 
tircUo  from  Hudson's  Bay,  togetlii'r  with  the  nuUo.  and  part  of  the  crew  of  the  bark 
O'foiye  Ihniij,  of  New  l,f)ndon,  which  has  been  wrecked  ujion  the  Lower  Siiva)j:e  Isl- 
ands. Slic  was  forced  upon  the  rocks  tlie  IGtIi  of  July,  by  strong  tides  in  calm  weath- 
er, heavily  beset  by  large  floes  of  ice,  which,  fur  the  lack  of  wind,  rendered  tliv  vessel 
unmaiu\geable,  and  she  became  a  total  wreck.  After  saving  a  great  ([uantity  of  pro- 
visions, stores,  and  other  valuable  property,  Captain  Chaiiell  left  the  island,  with  his 


APPENDIX.  589 

whole  crew  and  officers,  in  five  boats,  to  make  tlie  best  of  their  way  toward  St.  John's, 
Newfoundland.  Leaving  the  island  on  the  2Gth  of  July,  they  crossed  down  to  Ueso- 
liition  Island  28th,  wlieii  a  stress  of  weather  and  much  ice  caused  tlicni  to  land  on 
the  rocks,  where  they  wore  detained  for  four  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they 
launched  toward  Button  Island,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  straits,  distant  .'JO  iiiiles"; 
but,  owing  to  calms  and  head  winds,  were  thrown  back  near  Resolution  Isbuici,  and 
surrounded  by  a  pack  of  ice.  This  closed  together  so  quick  upon  their  l)oiits  that 
they  had  but  just  time  enough  to  haul  them  up  on  the  ice  and  save  them  from  being 
crushed  to  pieces.  Tlirce  of  them  were  sliglitly  stove.  They  remained  on  the  ice 
three  hours  before  it  got  so  still  that  they  could  launch  with  safety  and  make  for  the 
shore,  which  the  last  two  boats  reached  in  time  to  shun  a  gale  that  came  on  sudden- 
ly. Hero  the  boats  were  detained  for  ten  days,  both  ice  and  wind  bound,  and  the 
rain  scarcely  ceased  during  the  time,  making  their  situation  very  uncomfortable.  Ou 
the  lOth  of  August  they  launched  again,  and  proceeded  on  the  voyage.  Owing  to 
lack  of  wind,  they  had  to  toil  with  oars  for  twelve  hours,  when  with  a  breeze  came 
fog  and  rain,  that  soon  wet  and  chilled  all  hands.  They  then  sailed  among  ice,  mak- 
ing a  course  as  well  as  tlicy  could  toward  Button  Island,  which  they  were  imable  to 
reach  for  ice.  On  the  night  of  the  11th  two  of  the  boats  got  separated  in  thick,  dark 
weather,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  a  gale  of  wind  came  on,  which,  togctiicr 
with  a  high  sea,  discomfited  the  boats  not  a  little.  Considting  one  another  how  best 
to  proceed  for  safety,  it  was  decidotl  to  run  for  land,  which  was  distant  25  miles.  On 
running  toward  the  land,  they  came  to  a  heavj-  ])nck  of  ice,  through  which  it  was  nec- 
ess!  ry  to  go,  if  possible,  to  reach  the  land,  it  lieing  their  only  way  of  safety.  They 
sailed  on,  and  fortunately  found  the  ice  so  slack  that  the  boats  could  run  among  it — 
still  heading  for  the  land,  which  now  appeared  only  about  six  miles,  though  it  wiis 
much  farther  off",  and  i«-esented  nothing  but  perpendicular  elifl^s,  up  which  it  would 
be  impossible  for  man  to  climb,  and  no  prospect  of  saving  the  boats,  without  which 
there  would  be  no  chance  of  escape  from  the  barren  island,  wiierc  they  might  have 
been  delivered  from  the  jaws  of  the  ocean  oidy  to  starve.  So  they  held  another  con- 
sultation. In  all  eyes  their  hope  seemed  forlorn,  and  their  hearts  sank  within  them 
as  the  gale  increased  and  the  sea  arose.  Then  all  were  ready  to  give  uj)  in  despair, 
when,  lo !  a  sail  appeared — a  tiny  sail — and  they  rejoiced  that  the  lost  boats  were 
still  afloat.  With  the  aid  of  a  glass  they  made  out  a  schooner,  for  which  they  steer- 
ed with  joyful  hearts,  and,  after  a  long  time,  wore  discovered  by  her  captain  and 
kindly  received.  It  was  then  found  that,  two  hours  before,  she  had  jjicked  up  the 
missing  boats.  Thus  all  were  providentially  drawn  together,  and  dclivereil  out  of 
much  danger." 

VII. 

Jiob's  3Ieasurement. — Page  276. 
Kingwatcheung's  (Bob's)  measurement  was  as  follows ; 

3*inches  around  his  body,  over  the  breast. 

42  inches  around  his  shoulders,  over  his  arms. 

IT)  inches  around  his  neck. 

22  inches  around  his  head. 

ft  feet  2  inches  in  height. 

5  feet  3  inches  from  finger  tip  to  finger  tip. 
IIo  was  probably  from  40  to  45  years  of  age. 

VIII. 

F)'ohisher''s  Ex2KdUions. — Pago  279. 
Frobisher  left  England  on  the  15th  of  June,  157G,  with  three  vessels — the  Gabriel, 
a  bark  of  twenty-five  tons ;  the  Michael,  a  bark  of  twenty  tons ;  and  a  pinnace,  of 
ten  tons.  On  the  lltli  of  July  "he  had  sight  of  an  high  and  ragged  land,"  which 
was  the  southern  part  of  Greenland  ;  but  he  was  kept  from  landing  by  ice  and  fogs. 
Not  far  from  that  point  his  pinnace,  with  four  men,  was  lost.  "Also  the  other  bnrke, 
named  the  Michael,  mistrusting  the  matter,  conveyed  themselves  privily  away  from 


590  APPENDIX. 

liim,  and  returned  home,  with  great  report  that  ho  was  cast  away."  Frobisher,  nev- 
ci'hclcss,  went  on  alone  witli  the  (hibrid,  and  after  encountering  much  severe  weath- 
er, entered  tlie  water  wiiich  he  called  "Frobisher  Strait,"  now  to  be  known  by  the 
name  of  Frobisher  Bay.  He  shortly  after  had  interviews  with  the  natives,  several 
of  wliom  came  on  board  his  vessel.  The  mariners,  trusting  them,  began  to  hold  open 
intercourse  with  the  ))Cople,  and  a  party  of  five  went  on  sliore  in  a  boat ;  these  were 
captured  by  the  natives,  and  the  captain  could  get  no  intelligence  of  them  during  the 
remainder  of  the  time  he  si>ent  there.  Frobisher  then  turned  his  attention  to  ob- 
taining some  tokens  of  Iiis  voyage  to  carry  back  with  him  to  England.  He  lured  one 
of  the  native  men  on  board,  and  took  him  oft"  with  iii-n.  "Whereupon,"  says  llak- 
luyl,  "when  he  found  himself  in  captivity,  for  very  chuler  and  disdaine  he  bit  his 
tongue  in  twaino  within  his  mouth ;  notwithstanding,  he  died  not  thereof,  but  lived 
till  ho  came  in  England,  and  then  he  died  of  cold  which  he  had  taken  at  sea." 

Frobisher  reached  England,  on  his  return,  e.irly  in  October  of  that  year.  Among 
the  relics  and  tokens  he  brought  home  with  him  was  one  jacce  of  black  stone,  of 
groat  weight,  "much  like  to  a  sea  cole  in  colour."  This,  bcmg  accidentally  put  in 
the  fire,  ]ircsented  an  ajJiJCarancc  something  like  gold.  Certain  refiners  of  London 
expressed  the  opinion  that  the  specimen  submitted  to  them  contained  gold,  and  a 
second  expedition  was  quickly  set  on  foot.  This  expedition  was,  as  Ilakluyt  says, 
"for  the  searching  more  of  this  goldo  ore  than  for  the  searching  any  further  discov- 
ery of  the  passage." 

On  tiic  olst  of  JNFay,  1577,  Frobisher  sot  sail  on  his  second  voyage,  having  three 
vessels — the  Ihjdc,  of  two  hundred  tons ;  the  Gabriel,  and  the  Michael — and  in  due 
time  again  entered  Frobisher  Bay.  On  the  10th  of  July  ho  went  ashore  with  a  large 
company  of  his  officers  and  men,  and  ascended  a  high  hill,  which,  with  much  cere- 
mony, he  named  Mount  Warwick.  Two  of  the  Englishmen  then  had  an  interview 
with  two  of  the  natives,  a  great  crowd  of  whom  had  collected  to  view  the  strange 
siMctacle  exhibited  before  them.  This  interview  resulted  in  trading  to  a  considera- 
ble extent.  Shortly  afterward,  Frobisher  went  with  the  master  of  his  vessel  to  hold 
an  interview  with  two  others  of  the  natives,  meaning  to  seize  them  and  carry  them 
on  board  his  vessel,  intending  to  dismiss  one  witli  many  ])resents,  and  to  retain  the 
other  as  an  interpreter.  Tliey  made  the  attempt  at  cajiture  as  agreed  ujion,  but 
their  feet  slipped  on  the  snow,  and  the  natives  escaped  from  their  grasp ;  thereupon 
turning  and  attacking  the  two  Englishmen,  slightly  wounding  Frobislier.  Some  of 
tlie  sliiji's  company,  coming  to  the  others' assistance,  captured  one  of  the  naUves  and 
carried  him  on  board. 

On  the  L'Cth  of  July,  what  was  thought  to  bo  a  very  rich  mine  of  ore  was  discover- 
ed in  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound,  and  twenty  tons  of  it  were  got  together.  On 
one  of  the  islands  in  Bear  Sound  a  tomb  was  found  with  a  wliite  man's  bones  in  it. 
The  captive  native,  being  interrogated  by  signs,  declared  that  the  man  had  not  been 
killed  by  the  Innuits,  but  by  wolves.  In  the  latter  jiart  of  July,  various  jiortions  of 
the  clothing  of  the  missing  five  men  of  the  first  expedition  were  found  in  York  Sound. 
The  finding  of  the  clothes  gave  hope  that  the  men  were  yet  alive,  and  a  note  was 
written  and  loft  where  the  relics  were  discovered.  These  tilings  having  been  report- 
ed to  the  others,  an  expedition  was  made  to  the  point  indicated.  When  the  jdaco 
wiis  reached,  however,  all  vestiges  had  disappeared,  having  clearly  been  taken  away 
by  the  natives.  The  expedition  penetrated  farther  from  the  siiorc,  and  soon  came 
upon  a  village  of  tents,  the  inhabitants  of  which,  to  the  number  of  sixteen  or  eight- 
een, put  to  sea  in  a  boat.  Being  then  hardly  pressed,  the  natives  went  again  ashore 
on  a  ])oint  in  York  Sound,  where  they  were  attacked  by  the  English.  In  the  fight 
which  ensued  five  or  six  of  the  natives  were  killed,  most  of  the  rest  escaping.     The 


APPENDIX.  591 

party  thereupon  returned  to  the  ships,  carrying  witli  them  one  of  tlicir  own  men  diin- 
gerously  hurt  by  an  arrow,  and  a  native  woman  wlio  hud  been  captured. 

Then  all  the  vessels  returned  to  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound.  Not  long  aft- 
er, the  natives  came  to  treat  for  the  return  of  the  captive  wonuiu.  Frobisher  inti- 
mated to  them  that  he  demanded  first  the  release  and  delivery  of  liis  five  men.  The 
captive  man,  who  acted  as  interpreter,  was  at  first  so  much  uttbcted  at  sight  once 
more  of  iiis  people  that  he  "  fell  so  out  into  tears  that  he  could  not  spcakc  a  woihI  in 
a  great  space."  Then  he  conferred  with  them,  and  afterward  assured  Frobisher  that 
the  men  were  alive  and  should  be  delivered  up,  calling  on  him,  moreover,  to  send 
them  a  letter.  Therefore  a  letter  was  written,  and  on  the  7th  of  August  the  natives 
took  it,  signifying  that  in  three  days  they  would  return.  At  the  ap])ointed  time  they 
indeed  returned,  and  showed  themselves  in  small  numbers,  but  yet  brought  no  letter 
or  word  from  the  missing  men.  Moreover,  it  was  observed  that  many  of  tliem  were 
concealed  behind  the  rocks,  and  it  seemed  clear  that  some  treachery  was  meditated ; 
whereupon  the  English  prudently  kept  away  from  the  traj).  By  the  21st  of  August 
the  woi-k  of  loading  the  ships  with  two  hundred  tons  of  the  ore  was  finished,  and  on 
the  23d  sail  was  made  for  England. 

The  show  of  ore  which  Frobisher  took  back  to  England  excited  so  much  enthusi- 
asm for  another  expedition  that  a  fleet  of  fifteen  vessels  was  ready  to  sail  in  May, 
1578.  It  was  proposed  to  establish  a  colony  of  one  hundred  persons,  who  should  live 
through  the  ycrr  on  an  island  in  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound.  This  colony 
was  to  consist  of  minei's,  mariners,  soldiers,  gold  refiners,  bakers,  carpenters,  etc.  A 
"strong  fort  or  house  of  timber,  artificially  framed  and  cunningly  devised  by  a  nota- 
ble learned  man,"  was  to  be  carried  out  in  the  ships  and  put  up  on  the  island.  On 
the  way  out,  however,  one  of  the  barks  was  sunk,  and  part  of  the  house  was  lost. 

On  the  1st  of  August  the  order  was  given  from  Frobisher,  who  had  reached  the 
Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound,  to  disembark  from  the  vessels  all  the  men  and  stores, 
and  land  them  on  the  Countess  of  AVarwick's  Island,  and  to  prepare  at  once  for  min- 
ing. "Then,"  says  Ilakluyt,  "whilst  the  Mariners  i)lyed  tlicir worke,  the  Captaines 
sought  out  new  mynes,  the  goldfiners  made  tryall  of  the  Ore,"  etc.  On  the  9th  a 
consultation  on  the  house  was  held.  It  was  discovered  that  only  the  east  side  and 
the  south  side  of  the  building  had  come  safely  to  hand,  the  other  parts  having  been 
either  lost  or  used  in  repairing  the  ships,  which  had  been  much  beaten  by  storms  in 
the  passage.  It  was  then  tiiought,  seeing  there  was  not  timber  enough  for  a  house 
to  accommodate  one  hundred  jieople,  that  a  house  for  sixty  should  bo  set  up.  The 
carpenters,  being  consulted,  declared  that  they  should  want  five  or  six  weeks  to  do 
the  work,  whereas  there  remained  but  twenty-three  days  before  the  slii])s  must  leave 
the  country ;  consecpiently  it  was  determined  not  to  put  up  the  house  that  year. 

On  the  30th  of  August,  as  Ilakluyt  says,  "  the  Masons  finished  a  house  which 
Captaine  Fenton  caused  to  be  made  of  lyme  and  stone  upon  the  Countess  of  War- 
wick's Island,  to  the  end  we  might  prove,  against  the  next  yecre,  whether  the  snow 
could  overwhelmc  it,  the  frost  break  it  up,  or  the  peoido  dismember  the  same." 
Again:  "We  buried  the  timber  of  our  pretended  [intended]  fort." 

The  fact  that  this  expedition  earned  a  large  quantity  of  coal  is  shown  by  the  fol- 
lowing extract  from  Ilakluyt,  concerning  the  leakage  of  water  on  board  the  Heet : 
"The  great  cause  of  this  leakage  and  wasting  was  for  that  the  great  timber  and  sea 
cole,  which  lay  so  weighty  upon  the  barrels,  brake,  bruised,  and  rotted  the  hoopts 
asunder." 

On  the  last  day  of  August  the  fleet  set  sail  on  its  return  to  England. 

The  following,  upon  the  same  subject,  is  from  the  "Gentleman's  Magazine"  for 
175-1,  vol.  xxiv.,  p.  40 : 


592  AITENDIX. 

"  Phi/adcljihia,  Xov.  15.  Siiiulny  lust  arrived  here  the  scliooner  Argo,  Cnptnin 
Charles  Swaine,  who  miik'd  I'nmi  tliis  ]iort  last  sjjring  on  the  discovery  of  the  N.W. 
passage.  She  fell  in  with  tlic  ice  oVi  FaretccU;  left  the  eastern  ice,  and  fell  in  with 
the  western  ice,  in  hit.  Ui,  and  crnized  to  tlie  northward  to  lat.  (J3  to  clear  it,  hut 
could  not,  it  tiien  extending  to  the  eastward.  On  her  return  to  the  southward  she 
met  with  two  Danish  sliips  bound  to  Bull  river  and  iJixcn,  up  JJavis'n  strcigiits,  who 
had  been  in  tiic  ice  fourteen  days,  off  Fwwcll,  and  had  then  stood  to  westward  ; 
and  assured  tiie  conunander  that  the  ice  was  fast  to  the  sliore  uU  above  Hudson's 
streights  to  the  distance  of  40  leagues  out ;  and  tliat  there  had  not  been  such  a  se- 
vere winicr  as  tlie  last  those  2-1:  years  that  they  had  used  that  trade :  tliey  had  been 
nine  weeks  from  C<ijiei.'h(((/en.  The  Aiyo,  finding  she  could  not  get  round  the  ice, 
pressed  througli  it,  and  got  into  the  streight's  mouth  the  2(ith  ui  June  [sic],  and 
made  the  island  Kcsolution  ;  but  was  forced  out  by  vast  quantities  of  driving  ice,  and 
got  into  a  clear  sea  the  1st  ui  July  [sic].  On  the  11th,  iruizing  tlic  ice  for  an  open- 
ing to  get  in  again,  she  met  four  sail  of  JJuiLson's  liny  shijis  endeavoring  to  get  in, 
and  continued  witli  them  'till  the  li)th,  when  they  parted  in  thick  weatlier,  in  Int. 
()2  and  a  half,  which  tiiick  weather  continued  to  the  7th  of  Auyu.sl ;  the  Hudson's 
JJtiy  men  supposed  themselves  40  leagues  from  the  western  land.  The  Aiyo  ran 
down  the  ice  from  GI)  to  57.  ^0,  and  after  repeated  attempts  to  enter  the  streights  in 
vain,  as  the  season  for  discovery  on  the  western  side  of  the  Bay  was  over,  she  went 
in  with  the  lAihrador  coast,  and  discover'd  it  perfectly  from  .'•G  to  G5  ;  finding  no  less 
timn  six  inlets,  to  the  heads  of  all  whidi  they  went,  and  of  which  they  have  made  a 
very  good  chart,  and  liave  a  better  nccoimt  of  the  country,  its  soil,  j)roduce,  &e., 
than  has^iithcrto  been  publish'd.  The  cai)tain  says  'tis  much  \ika  Nuiu-ay ;  and 
that  there  is  no  communication  \\'n\i  Hudson's  Hay  \.\wq\\^\\  Labrador,  where  one 
has  been  imagined;  a  high  ridge  of  mountains  running  N.  and  S.,  about  TA  leagues 
within  tlie  coast.  In  one  of  tlie  harbours  they  found  a  deserted  wooden  house  with 
n  brick  chimney,  which  had  been  built  by  some  Euylish,  as  aj)pearcJ  by  suiulry  things 
they  left  l)eliind ;  and  afterwards,  in  another  harbour,  they  met  with  cajitain  liaff,  in 
a  snow  from  London,  who  inform'd  [sic]  that  the  same  snow  had  been  there  last 
year,  and  landed  some  of  the  Moravian  brethren,  who  had  built  that  house ;  but  the 
natives  having  decoyed  the  then  captain  of  the  snow,  and  five  or  si.x  of  his  hands,  in 
tlieir  boat,  round  a  ])oint  of  land  at  a  distance  from  the  snow,  under  ])retence  of  trade, 
carried  them  all  off  (tlicy  having  gone  imprudently  without  arms);  the  snow,  after 
wailing  sixteen  days  without  hearing  of  them,  went  home,  and  was  obliged  to  take 
the  Moravians  to  help  to  work  the  vessel.  Part  of  her  business  this  year  was 'to  in- 
quire  after  those  men.  Captain  Swaine  discovered  a  fine  fishing  bank,  which  lies 
but  six  leagues  off'  the  coast,  and  extends  from  lat.  67  to  54,  sup])osed  to  be  the 
same  hinted  at  in  Captain  JJavls's  second  voyage." 

P.  577,  [under  date]  "7W.sy%,  31.s<  Z>ce.',  1754.  ♦  ♦  •  The  schooner  yicjro, 
Captain  Swuinc,  is  arrived  at  I'liiladdphia,  after  a  second  unsuccessful  attempt  to 
discover  a  northwest  passage.  {See  an  account  of  the  \sl  voyage,  p.  40.  Sue  also 
page  542.)" 

[On  that  page,  642,  there  is  merely  a  list  of  all  voyages  to  discover  a  northwest 
passage,  etc.,  previous  to  that  of  the  Aryo. — Hall.] 

Macpherson  ("The  Annals  of  Commerce,  Manufactures,  Fisheries,  and  Naviga- 
tion," in  4  vols.,  London,  1805  ;  vol.  iii.)says: 

"This  summer  [Sept.,  1772. — II.]  some  gentlemen  in  Virginia  subscribed  for  the 
equipment  of  a  vessel  to  be  sent  upon  an  attempt  for  a  northwest  pa.ssage.  Under 
their  auspices,  Cajjtain  Wilder  sailed  in  the  brig  I>iliyence  to  the  lat.  09°  11',  in  a 
large  bay  which  he  supposed  hitherto  unknown.  He  reported  that,  from  the  course 
of  the  tides,  he  thought  it  very  probable  that  there  is  a  passage,  but  that  it  is  seldom 
free  of  ice,  and  therefore  impassable.*  But  an  inijinssable passaye  (if  such  language 
may  be  allowed)  is  no  ]>assagc  for  siiips.  But  the  impossibility  of  finding  such  a  pas- 
.sage,  in  any  navigable  sea,  was,  at  the  same  time,  further  demonstrated  by  the  return 
in  tills  summer  of  Mr.  Ilearnc,  a  naval  oflicer  then  in  service  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,"  etc.,  etc. 

[Following  this  is  matter  that  refers  to  the  information  the  Indians  gave  Ilearnc;. 

—Hall.] 

•  Thiif  Virginia  voyngft  of  dicrovery  had  escaped  tlic  diligence  of  Dr.  Forstcr,  the  lilstorinn  of  voy- 
ages and  dliscuvcriea  iu  the  .Nurtli. 


( 

\ 


Ari'ENDix.  593 


IX. 

The  Loss  of  the  Jktrk  Kitty.— Pago  295. 

The  bark  Kill]/,  of  Newcastle,  Knglnnd,  sailed  from  London  for  Hudson's  \t  \y  on 
the  21st  of  June,  18ii!),  and  was  wrecked  on  the  ice  September  5tli  in  the  same  year. 
The  wife  of  the  captain,  writinj?  to  an  arctic  voyager  with  the  hope  that  he  minht 
procure  some  tidings  of  her  husband,  thus  states  the  material  facts,  as  reported  by 
survivors  who  had  returned  to  England.  After  mentioning  the  date  of  the  ship- 
wreck, she  continues  as  follows : 

"  The  crew,  having  sufficient  time  to  j)rovide  themselves  with  every  necessary  they 
thought  prudent  to  take  into  their  boats,  landed  on  Saddliback  Island,  and  remained 
there  four  days,  during  wiiieh  time  they  met  several  natives.  Tiiey  agreed  to  sepa- 
rate themselves  into  two  bouts,  and  to  |)roeeed  u])  tiie  straits  in  hope  of  meeting  the 
Com])any's  ships  coming  down.  My  liusband,  Captain  Ellis,  with  ten  men  in  the 
long-boat,  and  Mr.  Armstrong,  chief  nmte,  with  four  in  the  skitl',  left  Saddleback  Isl- 
and on  the  morning  of  September  lOth,  and  at  night,  either  from  a  snow-storm  i  i  m 
the  dark,  the  boats  lost  sight  of  each  other.  The  skill',  inshore  the  next  morning, 
could  see  nothinjg  of  the  long-boat.  They  then  ])roeeedcd  down  the  straits  again, 
and  sailed  for  the  coast  of  Labrador.  After  sailing  sixty-one  days,  they  were  jiicked 
up  by  the  Esquimaux  and  taken  to  a  Moravian  missionary  settlement.  Finally,  they 
arrived  at  North  Shields  on  the  28th  of  August,  1800,  ai. '  since  then  there  has  never 
been  any  tidings  of  the  missing  long-boat  and  her  crew." 

The  following,  on  the  same  subject,  is  from  the  London  Times  of  Nov.  17,  1802: 
"  Muui>KK  OF  Bkitisii  Seamkn. — Fn  September,  185!),  the  Kitlij,  of  Newcastle, 
was  lost  in  Hudson's  Straits  by  being  nipped  in  the  icct  Five  of  her  crew,  who  got 
into  a  small  boat,  after  enduring  great  sutt'ering  by  ex])osure  to  the  cold,  succeeded 
in  reaching  a  Moravian  missionary  station,  where  they  were  ho.spitably  entertained, 
and  i"  ''ee  of  them  sent  to  their  homes  in  England  next  summer.  But  of  the  fate  of 
the  master  of  this  vessel,  Mr.  Ellis,  and  the  remainder  of  the  crew,  who  loft  the  ship 
in  a  long-boat,  nothing  has  been  heard  until  the  arrival  of  the  vessels  from  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  stations  this  autumn,  when  the  sad  intelligence  has  been  brought  that  the 
eleven  jjoor  fellows  fell  into  the  hands  of  unfriendly  Esqninninx,  and  were  murdered 
for  the  sake  of  their  blankets.  Tbo  missionaries  at  Okuk,  writing  to  the  widow  of 
the  muster  of  the  vessel  in  August  last,  say,  '  It  is  with  grief,  nnxdnm,  we  must  inform 
you  that  it  is,  alas!  only  too  true  that  the  long-boat,  with  her  master  and  crew,  iir- 
rivcd  at  Ungava  Bay,  but  that  none  of  the  men  survive.  Last  winter,  Esquinmux 
from  Ungava  Bay  visited  our  northernmor.t  settlement,  Hebron,  who  related  that  in 
the  winter  of  1859-00,  several  Europeans  in  a  boat  landed  at  the  island  called  Ak- 
(latok,  in  Ungava  Bay.  They  lived  with  the  Esquimaux  until  about  Januar}',  ui)on 
what  the  latter  could  provide  for  them ;  .but  then,  most  likely  when  their  provisions 
became  short,  the  Esquimaux  attacked  them  when  they  were  asleej)  and  killed  them, 
stabbing  thetn  with  their  knives.  There  is  no  doubt  of  these  really  being  the  men 
from  the  Kiltii,  because  the  Es(iuimaux  knew  there  had  been  another  boat,  with  five 
men  belonging  to  them,  whom  they  deemed  lost.  They  said  one  man  of  the  mur- 
dered coni]mny  had  very  frostbitten  feet,  and  him  the  Esquimaux  would  not  kill  by 
stabbing,  but  showed  him  a  kind  of  heathen  mercy,  as  they  ])Mt  him  into  the  open  air 
until  he  was  dead  by  severe  cold.'  It  seems  that  these  unfortunate  men  had  been 
murdered  for  the  sake  of  the  blankets  they  had  with  them.  It  would  ajipear  that 
one  of  the  Esquimaux  wanted  to  save  the  three  Euro])eans  who  lodged  with  him, 
but  they  met  the  same  fate  as  their  companions.  The  tribe  who  have  committed 
this  murder  do  not  a])pear  to  have  been  brought  in  contact  with  the  European  mis- 
sions; and  the  friendly  tribe  who  brought  the  information  in  to  Hebron  farther  in- 
formed the  Moravian  missionaries  at  that  place  that  a  little  farther  north  from  Un- 
gava Bay,  a  whole  crew,  consisting  in  all  of  about  forty  men,  wero  enticed  on  shore 
and  then  killed  by  the  Esquimaux." 

Pp 


No.  of 

specimens  7 

" 

3 

"        1 

3 

2 

"        I 

"        1 

"        1 

694  APPENDIX. 

Z. 

Mbieralogical  and  Geolor/ical  Specimens. — Pago  404. 

The  following  is  from  SiUimaris  Journal  of  March,  18C3  : 

'^Jtejmrt  on  the  Geological  and  Mineraloriical  Specimens  collected  by  Mr.  C.  F.  Uall  in 

Frobisher  llai/, 

"To  THK  New  York  Lyceum  ok  Natukal  Histohy  : 

"One  of  your  committee,  npimintcd  to  cxmnine  the  collection  of  minerals  nnd  fos- 
sils miidc  by  Mr.  Charles  F.  Hall  in  his  late  Arctic  Kx)ilorin}?  Ex])edition,  hegs  leave 
to  report  tliat  he  found  the  collection  of  fossils  small  in  number  of  individual  speci- 
mens, and  limited  in  tiic  range  of  its  species,  but  possessing  great  interest  to  tho  stu- 
dent of  arctic  geology. 

"The  specimens  are  as  follows: 

"Macliirca  maijna  (Lcsucur). 
Casts  of  lower  surface. 
Endoceras  protfij'oniie  ?  (Hall. ) 
OrtJioceras  (badly  >vorn  specimens). 
Ileliolites  (new  sjjccies). 
llcliopora     "         " 
Ilalijsitcs  catcmilala  (Fischer). 
Recejitmmlitcs  (new  species). 

"This  collection  was  made  at  tlie  head  of  Frobisher  Bay,  lat.  G3°  44'  N.,  nnd  long. 
68°  oG'  W.  from  Greenwich,  at  a  point  which,  Mr.  II.ill  says,  is  '  a  mountain  of  fos- 
sils,' similar  to  the  limestone  bluff  at  Cincinnati,  with  which  he  is  fumilicr.  This 
limestone  rests  upon  mica  schist,  specimens  of  which  he  also  brought  from  the  same 
locality.  Whether  tho  limestone  was  conformable  to  the  schist  or  not,  Mr.  Hall  diil 
not  determine.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  this  interesting  point  was  not  exam- 
ined by  him,  as  it  is  doubtful  whether  this  locality  may  ever  be  visited  by  any  future 
ex))lorcr. 

"  The  fossils,  without  doubt,  arc  nil  Lower  Silurian.  The  ^fadurea  magna  would 
place  the  limestone  containing  it  on  the  horizon  of  the  Chazy  limestone  of  New  York. 
The  f lull/sites  catenulata  has  been  found  in  C^anadu  in  the  Trenton  beds,  but  in  New 
York  not  lower  than  the  Niagara  lincstonc.  The  Endoceras  proteiforme  belongs  to 
the  Trenton  limestone.  The  lifceplaculitcs  is  unlike  the  several  sjiccies  of  the  Galena 
limestone  of  the  West,  or  the  A',  oicidenlalis  of  Canada.  Mr.  Salter  speaks  of  one 
found  in  the  northern  jjartof  the  American  continent.  This  may  be  that  species,  or 
it  may  be  a  new  one ;  which  it  was  we  have  no  means  of  determining.  Tiie  Ortho- 
cerata  were  but  fragments,  and  so  badly  water-worn  that  the  species  could  not  be 
identified. 

"  The  specimens  of  corals  were  very  perfect  and  beautiful,  and  imlikc  any  figured 
by  Professor  Hall  in  the  Paloiontoldgy  of  New  York.  The  Ileliolites  and  Ilelinpora 
belong  to  the  Niagara  group  in  New  York,  but  in  Canada  they  have  been  found  in 
the  Lower  Silurian.  For  the  identification  of  strata,  corals  are  not  always  reliable. 
Whether  these  species  are  similar  or  identical  with  any  in  the  Canadian  collection, 
it  was  out  of  my  power  to  determine.  They  are  unlike  any  figured  by  Mr.  I.  W. 
Salter.  K.  P.  Stkvens. 

"  One  of  the  committee  appointed  to  examine  the  mineral  specimens  brought  from 
Frobisher  Bay  by  Mr.  Hall,  reports  that  the  specimens,  though  quite  numerous,  were 
mostly  of  the  same  general  cliaracter.  The  rocks  were  nearly  all  mica  scliist.  Some 
of  the  specimens  were  taken  from  boulders ;  some  from  the  ruins  of  houses,  and  had 
the  mortar  still  attached  ;  and  some  were  from  the  rock  in  its  natural  position. 
There  was  nothing  peculiar  in  the  rock,  it  presenting  the  usual  variations  in  compo- 
sition. The  other  .specimens  were  an  argillaceous  limestone,  determined  by  its  fos- 
sils to  be  Lower  Silnrian  ;  a  single  sjiecimen  of  quartz,  crystallized,  and  presenting, 
besides  the  usual  six-sided  termination,  another  jiyramid  whose  angle  was  much  more 
obtuse  ;  magnetic  iron,  some  of  which  was  found  in  situ,  nnd  other  specimens  which 
were  evidently  boulders,  and  had  undergone  for  some  time  the  action  of  salt-water ; 
a  few  pieces  of  iron  pyrites,  bituminous  coal,  and  nodules  of  flint  or  jasper.    *    *    * 

"  [The  part  of  this  report  omitted  gives  reasons  for  believing  the  coal  and  siliceous 


APPENDIX.  595 

nudulcs  to  liavu  been  l>r(>iiKlit  from  Englnnd  by  FrobiBhcr,  wbo,  it  is  well  known, 
took  out  largo  supplies  and  many  miners,  expecting  to  mine  and  smelt  ores.  Sonic 
'  blooms'  of  iron  which  Mr.  Hall  found  may  have  been  the  result  of  their  operations 
with  the  magnetic  iron. — Eds.] 

11  *  *  «  This  theory  is  supjiorted  by  the  tradition  of  the  natives,  who  say  that 
the  coal  was  brought  there  by  foreigners,*  as  well  as  by  the  entire  absence  of  any  in- 
dications of  geological  strata  so  higli  up  in  the  series  as  the  Carboniferous  formation. 
The  siliceous  pebbles  seem  to  have  served  as  gravel  for  the  mortar  used  in  building 
the  houses  for  carrying  on  the  various  objects  for  which  the  expedition  was  sent  out. 
No  trace  of  any  mineral  containing  silver  existed  in  the  collections.  The  sands  su)i- 
posed  by  Mr.  Hall  to  bo  those  in  which  Frobisher  found  gold  have  not  yet  been  as- 
sayed. A  small  bead  detached  from  an  ornament  worn  by  the  natives  was  found  to 
be  lead.  Tiios.  Eoleston.  ' 

XI. 

Arctic  Sledge. — Pago  481. 

The  sledge  which  I  had  made  in  Cincinnati,  and  took  with  me  on  my  expedition 
to  the  North,  was  made  after  the  sledge  "Faith,"  the  favorite  slcdgo  of  Dr.  Kane  on 
his  last  expedition.  The  only  difference  between  his  and  my  slcdgo  was  as  follows : 
Dr.  Kane's  was  3  feet  8  inches  wide,  while  mine  was  only  2  fret  C  inches.  The  shoe- 
ing of  Dr.  Kane's  was  three-sixtecnths-inch  steel,  while  the  shoeing  of  mine,  on  nr  ■ 
rn-ing  at  the  North,  was  slabs  of  the  jawbone  of  the  whale  (the  article  used  by  the 
natives),  1  inch  thick  and  3i^  inches  wide. 

The  dimensions  of  the  "Faith"  (of  Dr.  Kane's)  were  as  follows: 

ft.    ill. 

Length  of  runner .  13  0 

Height  of  do 0  8 

Horizontal  width  of  rail 0  2} 

"  "         bnse  of  runner 0  3.t 

"  "         other  parts ...  0  2 

Thickness  of  all  parts 0  \\ 

Length,  resting  on  a  plain  surface (i  0 

Cross-bars,  five  in  number,  making  a  width  of  . . .  3  8 

>■  Every  tliiug  tlmt  seems  to  them  peculiar  tliey  refer  to  tlii:<  source. 


THE  END. 


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r  i{  A( '  K  AM.  I )  I  s < "  o V  K  in  i<:  s 

<>•'  C  .  P  ■  HA  Liu  "N 11 1\ 

fUANKMN    HKSK.VJK  ir  KXI'K.Ill  r'KW 
'luritii:  I  III'   VIM  r» 


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standard  Works 

or 

Discovery  and  Adventure  in  Africa, 

I'UIILISIIKD  IIY 

HARFER  &  BROTHERS,  FraukUn  Square,  N.  Y. 

tW  HeiU  by  Mail,  ixutaije pre-jmid,  un  receip'  q/jnice. 


TtiK  anur^int  nf  Irairl  UUraUirf.  trhieh  IIari'KR  &  liKoTriKRg  havf  puhtished^latinri  to  A/ncj 
»H<it.«  fi  cwuiiui  tint,  and  illtiiitmle-i  the  lient  n/  (jeoijrapliinit  aiitl  jKilitieal  examiiuttion  fur  nomi' 
titnfpnnt.  Tht i>etan>»  itf  Hurtoii,  Ihlith,  UviiuiHlniu;  hti  Clutillu,  iMviii,  and  a  number  of  iither 
flelelinttfd  IrnvelUr*,  form  a  gnuiU  Ubninj,  all  the  result  of  the  laat  few  yearn'  devotion  to  African 
egiUuTOtiun.—S.  Y.  JuuuMAi,  or  C.'ommebii:. 


Speko's  Africa.  Jmirnal  of  tlio  Discovery  <>f  llio  Sonrrcs  of  the  Nile.  Bv 
.FoiiN  IIannim;  Si>kkk,  •"aptuhi  II.  .M.  Imliiiii  Army,  Fellow  ami  Gold  Mf'diilist  of 
till!  Koviil  (lenxriipliical  f^ociety,  Hon.  Corr.  Meiiilwr  aii<l  (iold  Medalist  of  tliu 
Freiifli  lieoniaphioal  Society,  &c.  With  Mnp  and  rortraits,  and  nunieroiis  Ilhi;^- 
tnUiouH,  chictly  from  l>niwiiigs  by  Captain  tiii.vNT.     «vo,  Cloth,  ^4  00. 

Re&de's  Savage  Africa.  Western  Africa  :  Iwing  the  Narrative  of  n  Tour  of 
Iviuiiturial,  Soiithwe^tiTn,  and  Northwestern  Africa;  with  Notes  on  the  llahits  of 
the  tJorilla;  oti  the  Kxistcnce  of  Unicorns  ancl  'raiUd  Men;  on  the  Mavo  Trade; 
on  the  Ori'  -n,  ("liaracter,  and  ('apal)ilitii's  of  the  Neixro,  and  of  the  future  Civili- 
zation of  »Vestcrn  Africa.  I>y  W.  WinWord  Hkai>k,  Fellow  of  the  Gcoi.'.  and  An- 
lhn)i>oloKical  Soc.  of  l.oiul..  ami  Corr.  Meniher  of  the  tiec  ■.  8oe.  of  I'aris.  With 
llln!<tration.s  and  u  .Map.     <Svu,  Cluth,  $t  00. 

Du  Cbaillu's  Equatorial  Africa.  I'.xjilorations  and  .Sdwiituros  in  Kquaio 
rial  Africa-  with  Account-i  of  the  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  IVojile,  and  of  the 
Cha.se  oft'  i  (Jorilla,  the  Crocodile,  l.copard,  Klc|)hant,  ni|ipopotanius,  and  other 
Animals,  liy  I*.»fi,  H.  i>i;  CuAii.i.r,  (\>rr.  Mcndier  of  the  Amer.  i;tlinoloiri<'al 
iStM'. ;  of  I  0  <ie<^.  and  Statistical  Soc.  of  New  York,  and  of  the  Bost.  Soc.  of  Nat. 
Hist.     Mips  and  nunieruus  Illustrations.     iSvo,  Cloth,  f.">  00. 

Baldwriii'8  African  Hunting.  AlVican  Ilimiim;  from  Natal  to  tlie  Zambesi, 
including;  Lake  Nixaini,  the  Kalahari  Desort,  v<<.,  from  IS.'L'  to  ISCiO.  By  Wtt.i.iAM 
CiiAKi.Ks  lUi.i<wiN,  F.lid.S.  With  Mai>,  Fifty  Illustrations  by  Wolf  and  Zweck- 
or,  ttud  u  i'urtralt  of  the  Great  Sporti-nian.     IJnio,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

Andersson's  Okavango  River.  The  Okavanpo  Bivcr:  A  Narrative  of 
Travel,  FAplonilion,  and  .VdveTitnre.  P.y  CiiAlii.KS  ■Juiin  .Andkussdv,  Author  of 
"  Luke  Nj!ami."  With  Steid  I'ortrait  of  the  Author,  numerous  Wood-cuts,  and 
A  Map  sliowint;  the  Hcgions  explored  by  Andcrssoii,  Cumming,  Livingstone,  Bur- 
ton, and  Uii  Cliaillu.     Hvo,  Cloth,  .'fta  L^"^ 

Andersson's  Lake  Ngami.  Lake  Nijanii ;  or,  Kxplorations  and  Discoveries 
during  Four  Years'  Wanderings  in  the  Wilds  of  .Southwest eni  Africa.  By  Ciiaklks 
John  Am>kh«8(>n.  With  numerous  Illustrations,  representing  Sporting  Adven- 
tures, Sulyects  for  Natural  History,  Devices  for  destroying  Wild  Animals.  &c. 
New  l':dition.      iL'mo,  Cloth,  !j«l  r>0." 

Livingstone's  South  Aflrica.  Missioimry  Travels  and  Kesearches  in  SoutJi 
Africa;  including  a  Sketch  of  a  Si.vtcen  Y'ears'liesidcnce  in  the  Interior  of  Africa, 
and  a  .loiirney  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  I.oando  on  the  West  Coast;  tlienoo 
across  the  Continent,  down  the  Hiver  Zambesi,  to  the  Knsterti  Ocean.  By  Davim 
LiviNOHTONK,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  With  Portrait,  Mai>s,  and  immerous  Illustrations. 
8vo,  Cloth,  f4  50. 


2        Standard  Works  of  Discovery  and  Adventure  in  ^ifrica. 

Davis's  Carthage.  Ciirtlinirc  iimi  her  Ucnmins:  IJciiit;  nn  AotMnmt  of  tlio  Kx. 
onvatmris  uii.l  Kooiirclu-s  on  ihc  Silo  of  tliu  rii(Liiiiiaii  .Molrojiolis  in  Africii  nn<l 
other  mljur.iit  riiiois,  uiuler  Iho  Auspiocs  of  Her  Majesty's  GoViTiiiiioiif,  Hy  l)r 
N.  l>A\is,  F.li.(J.S.  rnifiisi'lv  illustrated  with  Mnpa,  Wcxxl-ciits,  Chroii)<»  Liilio- 
grajihs,  \c.,  Jic.     8vo,  Cloth,  !j!4  00. 

Buitoii's  Central  Africa.  The  l.akc  Kcgioin  of  I'l'iitnil  Africa.  A  I'irtiiru 
of  F.xjloration.  lU-  Ukiiakii  F.  Hi  uton.  Caj.t.  II. M.I.  Arioy;  Follow  and  (nild 
Mcdali!it  of  the  Hoyal  (Jcofiiaiiliicnl  .Societv.  \Vith  Maji.*  and  IJicraN  iiiL's  on 
Wood.     8vo,  Cloth,  f;J  50. 

Earth's  Nnth  and  Central  Africa.  Travel*  nntl  Di-covorii  s  in  Xorth  and 
Central  Al'rica.  lliin^;  n  .Founial  of  nn  Kxi>cdition  undirlnken  under  tlio  ,\n>|iiees 
of  H.H.M.'s  (Joveniinent  in  the  Years  IM'.t-lH.V..  Ily  llt.Miv  H-utrii,  I'li.I)., 
IJ.C.L.     l*mfu.scly  and  elegantly  illustrated.     Coniiiletc  in  <i  vols.  ,Svo.  Cloth, -SltJ. 

Cumming's  South  Africa.  Firo  Years  of  a  IIuntor'A  Life  in  the  Interior  of 
South  Afriea.  With  Noticed  of  the  Native  Tril>e<,  and  .\iicedotc-*  of  the  Clm!.ii  of 
the  Lion,  Klc)>iiant,  II)ppo|Mitftnins  (iiraffe.  HliinoceniD,  Ac.  liy  CioKiMis  Ci^ii- 
uuio.     With  Illnstrations.     2  vols.  I2mo,  Cloth,  S8  00. 

"Wilson's  ■Western  Africa.  Western  Afrira:  Its  Iltstnrr,  rendition,  and 
l'ro>j<tts.  ]\y  Kcv.  ,).  I.Kii.iiToN  Wii.sos,  Eiuliioin  Yenrs  a  Miysioiuiry  in  .\fri 
eii.     With  nuinctoui  ICugrnNin^'s.      I'Jino,  Cloth,  ifl  M. 

Mr.  WilKiD,  on  Ai>.H<rirsn  mlwl<'nary,  hM  wr<ltc>n  Ihc  l><>»t  txwk  I  h»rc  rvrn  on  tbe  \Ve»t  C.iajl. 
— I>r.  UviKuiTuMU  llirrriJiire,  Vi'.  A/rica,  Kib.  W,  1.SCX 

Discovery  and  Adventures  in  Africa.  Condensed  Abstraets  of  the  N'arni- 
tives  of  Afriean  Travi-llei-s.  l»y  rrofessor  Jaulson,  James  Wilson,  and  Hiuji 
MiKKAv.     IMino,  ('loth,  lo  ccnik. 

The  Life  and  Adventures  of  Bruce,  the  African  Traveller.  15y  Majoi 
Sir  Fn*>ci'.  IV  lli  ak.      l'»nio,  Clotii,  75  ecnt.-'. 

Landers  Nigger  Expedition.  Journal  <if  nn  F.xp<><lition  to  rsidor.-  the 
Couisc  ami  'I'ennination  of  the  Nijrer.  With  a  Narrative  of  a  VoynRe  ilown  that 
Hivcr  to  it«  'rcrininatiun.  liv  R  and  J.  LA.M>t:n.  Fln^'ravings.  '.'  \ol:i.  18nio, 
Cloth,  I"!  .W. 

Urquhart's  Pillars  of  Hercules.  The  Pillars  of  Ilerenles;  or.  A  Narrative 
<jf  Trav.li.  in  Spain  aii<l  Moruvco  in  ISi.H.  Hv  David  I'ikjciiaut,  .M.T.  L'  vol8. 
I2mo,  CloUi,  ?3  00. 

Owen's  Voyaf^es.  Voyaj^es  to  explore  the  Shores  of  Afriea,  Arahia,  and 
.^Iall.l^a^ear :  perli.rnied  njidcr  the  Direction  cf  Captain  W.  F'.  W.  (Jwun,  H.N 
•J  vols.  12iMO,  (loth,  ir2  75, 

Mungo  Park's  Central  Africa.  Travels  of  Mungo  I'nrk,  with  the  Account 
of  Ins  l»«atli,  from  the  .lonrnal  of  Isaaeo,  and  later  Discoveries  ndative  to  his  liu 
inenteJ  Fate,  and  tha  Termination  of  the  Nij-er.      IHino,  Cloth,  75  cents. 


MADAGASCAR. 

The  Last  Travels  of  Ida  Pfeiffer:  inclusive  of  a  Vi-it  to  Madai;nsear. 
With  iin  AuioljioL'rajihical  Memoir  of  the  Author.  Translated  hy  li.  W.  Dci.oken. 
Steel  Portrait.  12nio,  Cloth,  $1  60.  (Uniform  with  Ida  TfciH'er'u  "Second  Jonr 
iiey  round  tho  World''). 

Three  'Visits  to  Madagascar,  durinj?  the  Years  ia'»;l-1854-lH.'.r..  Including' 
n  Jounny  to  the  Capital,  with  Notices  of  the  Natural  History  of  the  Country  and 
of  the  r'reseiit  Cixili/ation  of  the  People.  Hy  the  Kev.  Wli.i.I\.M  Kl.lJW,  FMI..S. 
With  u  iiup  and  Wood-cuts  fi  jm  Photographs,  &c.     t<vo,  Cloth,  t^:i  r,Q. 


STAIS^DARD   LIP.RAIIY  BOOKS 


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rinl  Fit'ld-Hnok  r)t' iliv  l{cv(il\iii<iii ;  (),-,  lllii-triitidiH  In-  IVii  lui'l  IViiofl  ufilu' 
History,  lJi()>;ni]phy,  Sccmiy,  Uciics,  iiiul  'rnulilions  «(  tli<'  \V;ir  (or  Imle- 

pi'lulflK'C.        Hv    IJlXXIN    J.    LoSSIXfl.        2    vols.   8V0,    Clotll,   iJU    flO  ;    Sln'L'|i, 

fl.-i  00;   Iluir'Calf,  !?1K  00;  Morocco,  i;ilt  f,lj,'cs,  *2'.'  OO. 

DliAl'KirS  IIISTOK'VOF  TlIK  IXTKl.LFA  TFAL  DKVKL- 
Ol'MKNT  OF  KlUol'Iv  A  History  of  the  Iiiicllcciiial  l)cvcl(i|iii,ci\t  uf 
Kiiroiic.  ]\y  .loiiN  \\ti.i.i.vM  DiJM-Ki!,  M.I).,  KL.I).,  I'mlo-sor  of  Clicniis- 
try  aiiil  I'liysiolocy  in  the  rriivcr^ity  of  New  Ymk  ;  Aiillmr  of  a  "'I'lcatisc 
on  Illllllilli  I'hysiolojjy,"  ito.,  >.<;<'.  Sucoiul  Ivlition.  8vo.  (loth,  s,",  III); 
Hiilf  Morocoo,  1*7  '-'.">. 

MOTI.KY'S  DFTCir  KFFriil.IC.  Tl.c  Kisc  of  tlm  Duicli  Uf- 
imhlic.  A  History.  Hy  .Iuhn  LuTiiiioi- Moii.kv.  Willi  a  I'ortiait  of  Vil- 
liiiin  of  OranKC.    ';t  vols'.  .<vo,  Cliuli,  >!(  im). 

MOTLKVS  IHSTOKV  OFTIIK  FNITKl)  XETTIKRI.AXDS. 
History  of  the  I'tiitcd  Ni'thcrlamls :  from  the  Death  of  Williiiin  tho  silent 
to  the  Synod  of  Dort.  \Vitli  a  full  \'icw  of  the  l''.tiu'li>li-l>iilih  Stni;:ulc 
n(;uin«t  .SpMin,  nml  of  the  OriL'iii  and  Dcsiriiclioii  of  the  Siaiii^li  Aniiatla. 
By  John  Loriiiioi-  M()Ti,i:v.  I.l-.D..  D.t'.r.,  Author  of  '•The  Kise  of  tlic 
Dutih  Ucpiddic."     New  IMitioii.     'J  vols,  svo,  I'lnih,  >.i;  tio. 


H 


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COLKKIDCK'S  COMITJ'.TF  WOKKS.  Tlio  ('oni|il(ir  Wnrk> 
of  Samnel  'I'avlor  Col.'rld^'e.  With  an  Introductory  F.ssny  upon  his  I'liilo- 
•pliiciil  and  Tlieolo;.'ieal  Opinions.  Ildilcd  hy  I'rofcssor  Siii;i)i>.  Coinplutc 
in  7  Volnine-.     With  ii  lino  I'oitrait.     New  Fdition.     Small  Svo,  Cloth, 

$10  r,o. 

Vol.    I.   Aids  to  Kctleetion— Statesman's  Maiinal.     II.  The  Friend.     III. 
niojrrnpliiii  I.iteraria.     IV.   Lectures  on  Shakspearo  and  other  l)iamatis^. 
V.   I.iterarv   Kemains.      VI.  SeeomI   L:>y  Sermuu  and  Tahle-lalk.     All 
I'oetii-al  and  Dramatie  Works. 
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GIJOTF.'S    IIISTOUV   OF  GREKCF.     1J   vols.   Uiii",  (  Inih. 
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i^arpcr's  Catalogue. 


A  liuw'KirTivx  <'ATAi/>Grr  A<ii>  Tiuur.-l.ixT  or  IUri'kk  A  Hrotiichu'  fi-iiurvTinNK  may  be  ob- 
l«itiiil  (jmtiiiuiii'ly  "II  niipUodlion  U>  Itic  I'libU-hrrs  iwixmnlly,  nr  by  li'Hcr  iiicbwlnR  Kivr  I'intk. 
Tbe  ktU'Dtlou  of  gent Ifiiii'ti,  in  t-iwn  or  cxmntry,  ib'i>iptiinK  t"  form  I.lbniriwi  ur  riirlih  Ibilr  llU-mry 
T'ldorlioav  1.1  niiiM-rlfiilly  Inrilol  l<>  tbi.i  (^aUK^ur,  «bicli  oil!  tx- foiiiul  t<>  romprtm*  a  larK<*  |>n<|><>r- 
ti»ti  uf  tbe  itanilarJ  ami  iinvt  p'Urnifd  it<irki>  in  Knglitb  litcrahin'-i  oMruEiiKNiiiNO  MAti.T  tiiikk 
TiiiHHAMi  vouMrj*— »birli  arc  offi  n-d  in  nioM  lu»tHnfi'«  at  !<>■"•  ilmn  iiiic  i|uarU'r  tbr  coti  of  riinllar 
|iMilurtion!<  in  I'.nf;lan<l.  To  Librarian*  and  c<hcr»  r.>nnorli'd  with  •'"II«t:i>»,  Sclinol*,  Ar.,  wh"  ni»> 
not  liRV*'  aro'M  to  a  tnntirortby  Ktildo  in  tbi'  M'iK-lion  of  lilciary  |iroJurliuDN  it  In  U-Ueviil  the  Tat- 
al'iKui'  will  prvirr  cuptrially  valunblt'  an  a  manual  of  nfercun!. 

Tu  prevent  OivapiioiDlmoni,  it  I*  i'ii(n?'''lr<l  »h»li  whcnfvi-r  Uoki  can  not  be  obtalniHl  throiiKh  any 
lKxikM>llfr  or  local  aR^nt,  applientionii,  witli  ri-iuittaiict),  rhould  bo  addnvMid  direct  to  tbe  piibll»li. 
<r«.  vblrh  will  niptt  with  pnimpt  ftttputirm. 

llAUrEl  A  llioTiiKiui  will  Mml  tbeir  book»  by  mall.  pimtaRp  prp-p«l<V  bi  any  part  of  the  liiJir.! 

Stale"  on  rwiipl  of  llie  t 'ntalogtlP  priro. 


